The Spoke celebrates 75th year
Reporters, advisers reflect on beginnings, experience beyond graduation
By Saktisri Gowrishankar and Erin Zhang, Multimedia Editor and
Co-Copy
Editor
The clock shows 2:30 a.m. during the 2000-01 school year.
In a printing facility outside of school, then-senior and Managing Editor Jason Mazda and then-Editor-in-Chief Emily Bagby are still awake, working with
a CD and computer. Fighting exhaustion, they are determined to bring print pages of Conestoga High School’s student-run newspaper to its readers in the school and T/E community.
“It was crazy. I think this was before we had cell phones, and both of our parents were not thrilled with us for being out that late. They were calling and trying to figure out where we were, but we got (the paper) out, and we kind of fine-tuned the process a little bit moving
forward, so it didn’t take quite that long every time,” Mazda said. “Those experiences — being just working late into the night to figure it out — it was good life experience.”
Years later, students stay up late into the evening for the same purpose: reporting for The Spoke. This school year, the paper completes its 75th volume, continuing a legacy of acting as a local media source for the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District community.
The publication dates back to 1955, when the school transitioned from Tredyffrin/Easttown High School to Conestoga Senior High School, and its student paper was officially titled The Conestoga Spoke. Prior to that, the paper was known as the Eastfrin Echoes. In 1992, it adopted the now-familiar name The Spoke.
Class of 1977 alumnus Art Stewart was a student journalist for the newspaper for three years. He remembers writing
music columns and covering various stories throughout his time on the paper. Stewart appreciated The Spoke as an outlet for communication between student journalists and their community.
“It (The Spoke) was pretty well read. There weren’t many publications, or there weren’t many communication vehicles to begin with in those days,” Stewart said. “I wasn’t the only one who was young and ambitious, who wanted to be a writ-
Generations of students have felt that same calling and made their contribution to the newspaper. They have received guidance from advisers like retired Conestoga teacher Cyndi Hyatt, who served as an adviser of The Spoke from 200622. For Hyatt, The Spoke has played a significant role within the area and is rooted in
“What
“There’s a
testament to that. The Spoke gave us 75 years at Conestoga. That’s pretty impressive. It’s really part of the fabric of our school and our community.”
USDA cancels $250,000 Chester County Food Bank order
On April 2, the Chester County Food Bank announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled their $250,000 food order. To compensate for the canceled order, the food bank will need to purchase these goods from local farmers at increased retail prices. According to the food bank, it could lose up to $1 million worth of food orders this year if the cancellations continue.
“We received an email (from the USDA saying), ‘Hey, sorry that food order was canceled. It looks like it’s going to be continually canceled quarter over quarter. Have a nice day,’” said Food Bank Director of Community Relations Nicholas Imbesi.
The Chester County Board of Commissioners works closely with the food bank and believes the cuts will not impact the food bank’s operations now, but future cuts could change how the food bank operates internally. Following the news of the funding cuts, the food bank started an online community awareness campaign to spread news about the cancellation in an attempt to increase community donations. In addition to informing local residents, Chester County Board of Commissioners Chair Josh Maxwell encouraged state and federal elected officials to advocate for the restoration of federal funding.
“First, we made sure that (the food bank) had the ability to continue providing food to populations, and they do. Second, was (to) make it clear to our federal elected officials what this money was going towards. We (the Chester County Board of Commissioners) met with Senator (David) McCormick’s staff, Senator (John) Fetterman’s staff (and) Congresswoman (Chrissy) Houlahan and we started keeping a spreadsheet of food cuts,” Maxwell said. “So when they’re advocating on our behalf, hopefully they will have the details needed to provide that information.”
The food bank reported that last fiscal year, they dis
tributed 4.6
people in Chester County suffered from food insecurity. This number has increased by 1.1% from the previous year’s study. As food insecurity rates rise, Imbesi feels that federal funding is important for the food bank to be able to accomplish its mission of providing food.
Courtesy Chester County Food Bank
Nolan Talley Webmaster
Continuing the legacy: Laminated pages of The Spoke line the walls alongside signs with the school years. The newspaper served as a local news source, beginning under the name Eastfrin Echoes,
Preparing for distribution: The Chester County Food Bank sets up an order of food for
Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
TESD
CHANGES FOR NEXT YEAR
During its May 22 meeting, the education committee agreed to switch to Chromebook laptops for the middle schools and upgrade high schoolers to Dell Pro 14’s for the 2025-26 year. Additionally, TESD will implement Securly so ware on these devices, allowing parents to monitor and restrict school devices at home.
SENATOR SECURES
FUNDING FOR GREATER BRANDYWINE YMCA
On April 23, Sen. Carolyn Comitta announced on her website that she secured a new $50,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. e funding will support environmental upgrades for childcare and early learning classrooms at the Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn and the Oscar Lasko YMCA in West Chester.
PENNSYLVANIA DRIVING LAW PROHIBITS HANDHELD DEVICE USE
Starting on June 5, the Paul Miller’s Law will ban drivers from using cellphones and other handheld devices on the road, including when stopped at a red light. No body part can maintain the device, meaning that holding a phone will be illegal. Hands-free device use will still be allowed.
USA WINS ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
On May 25, Team USA beat Switzerland 1-0 in overtime during the nal game of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, making this the rst time that USA has won gold since 1933. Forward Tage ompson scored the winning goal 2:02 into overtime.
JUDGE HALTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVE ON HARVARD’S FOREIGN STUDENTS
On May 22, the Trump administration noti ed Harvard via letter that it would no longer be able to enroll international students and that existing ones must transfer or lose legal status. e university responded by ling a lawsuit, and a federal judge decided to extend a temporary order blocking this revocation on May 29.
On April 10, SEPTA announced its potential plan for 45% service cuts, including closing the Paoli- orndale Line, which services the Main Line. SEPTA will be facing a $213 million budget gap starting in July. If it does not receive state funding to cover this gap, the cuts will begin in August.
SEPTA received $896 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. With these funds exhausted in spring 2024 and rising fuel, power and supplies costs, SEPTA proposed a series of service cuts in its scal year 2026 budget proposal. Fi y bus routes and ve regional rail lines would close, as well as 66 stations. SEPTA would also enact a 21.5% fare increase, hiring freeze and 9 p.m. curfew on metro services.
“We (SEPTA) knew two years ago that we were on this path,” Vice Chair of SEPTA Marian Moskowitz said. “We looked at every mode of transit across the board, and we cut equally. We could have done it by need, but that isn’t fair. Everybody’s feeling pain equally.”
SEPTA would begin its cuts with a 20% service cut and fare
SEPTA proposes service cuts, fare hikes
increases. e remaining cuts and fare hikes would be fully implemented in 2026. Joey Zhou, a junior at the Academy at Palumbo in Philadelphia, uses SEPTA regularly to
travel to school from her home in northeast Philadelphia. Zhou feels SEPTA’s service cuts will worsen existing cancelations and delays. “ ere are so many people who rely on SEPTA to get to
school, work, home or just around the city, and even now these services aren’t always reliable. SEPTA services are constantly delayed or simply canceled, and these cuts and reductions will only make
these problems more frequent,” Zhou said. ese proposed cuts would also a ect the community economically. Suburban areas with access to SEPTA’s Regional Rail
Common Application makes changes for the 2025-26 year
On Aug. 1, the Common Application will refresh for the 2025-26 college application cycle. This year’s reset will include modifications to various optional sections and prompts, expanding to community colleges and integration with Scoir, a network used by TESD for the postsecondary planning process. The organization says it is continually evolving the application process to make it more equitable and accessible for students.
e Common Application will replace the current Community Disruption prompt with a Challenges and Circumstances prompt, giving students the opportunity to describe a wider range of challenges. e essay, previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow space for students to share COVID-related disruptions, will now emphasize relevant information, such as unique circumstances
that may have impacted a student’s experience.
“If you’re comfortable sharing, this information can help colleges better understand the context of your application,” the updated prompt states. “Colleges may use this information to provide you and your fellow students with support and resources.”
e Additional Information section’s word count will decrease from 650 to 300 words for rst-year applicants and from 3,500 to 1,500 characters for transfer applicants. Danielle Sculley-Ellett teaches the College and Career Transition (CCT) course at Conestoga, which covers college application components and career readiness skills. She feels that the updated prompt will allow students to present their experiences in a more nuanced way.
“Now that we are past the pandemic, Challenges and Circumstances is more appropriate because it allows students to share serious circumstances impacting them, allowing for more context in the application,” Sculley-Ellett said.
e standard seven essay prompts will not change to maintain consistency and ease student adaptation to other changes. Sculley-Ellett does not feel that it is necessary to change the CCT curriculum, as it already aligns with the updates made to the other optional prompts.
“I see the changes as more of an enhancement,” Sculley-Ellett said. “Students will not have to change their approach to the Common App.” e Common Application stated on its website that it made these changes through gathering diverse perspectives and input by consulting with its member, counselor and student advisory committees. Sculley-Ellett believes that the restructuring of the Community Disruption prompt will broaden students’ voices and let them describe their challenges more extensively.
“ e changes are in spirit of streamlining and making the Common App more user-friendly,” Sculley-Ellett said. “I think that is a great idea for our students.”
On May 28, the Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee met for the rst time to plan its course of action on designating which students will attend Bear Hill Elementary School. e school board created this committee to redraw school attendance boundaries in light of the new school’s opening in August 2027. ere is no speci c zone or school being targeted for redistricting and all elementary schools are being considered. e meeting established the committee’s goals and a timeline for the redistricting. TESD’s last redistricting planning process occurred in 2017, with Devon Elementary School students being sent to Beaumont or Hillside Elementary School to balance the student distribution. e committee plans on following a timeline and overall approach that is similar to the previous redistricting process. Dr. Wendy Towle, director of curriculum, instruction, sta development and planning,
would see an estimated $19.9 billion loss in home values due to service cuts and fare hikes, according to a study by Econsult Solutions, an economic consultancy based in Philadelphia.
Ryan Oswald is a Conestoga parent who travels to Philadelphia for work. He is concerned that SEPTA’s cuts will negatively impact other forms of transportation.
“ e tra c would be out of control,” Oswald said. “ e days when I do drive in, it’s already a lot of tra c, and that’s with a ton of people taking the train. If all those people had to nd their way into the city, I think that would be challenging.”
SEPTA says on its website that service cuts and fare hikes can be avoided if the state approves a budget with more transit funding. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025–26 budget proposal would increase tax revenue for the Public Transportation Trust Fund to support systems like SEPTA. is
“We’re all in this together,” Moskowitz said. “I’ve never
Gun reform organization urges investment in gun protection
CeaseFirePA is an organization that has advocated to end gun violence in Pennsylvania since 2002. According to its website, 1,600 Pennsylvania residents lose their lives to gun violence every year, and 3,000 more are injured. On April 23, CeaseFirePA held the Keystone Courage 2025 ceremony in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania to celebrate heroes in the gun violence prevention movement. is year’s program awarded Congresswomen Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean; Penn Medicine, which greatly assisted in aiding in gun violence recovery; and this year’s Deadly by Design storytellers, a video series initiative created by CeaseFirePA to share personal accounts about gun violence in the state. e initiative is one way CeaseFirePA partners with communities to combat gun violence issues.
“ e important thing to know is that nearly every community in the commonwealth experiences gun violence of some kind,” CeaseFirePA campaign director
Ashleigh Deemer wrote in an email. “We elevate the stories of survivors through our Deadly by Design video series, and we work with community violence intervention organizations to advocate for the funding they need to do their life-saving work.” In 2021, the coalition raised $30 million to combat the spike in violence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its actions in uenced former Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to veto a bill allowing anyone over 18 years old to carry a gun without a permit and former President Joe Biden’s regulation of ghost guns, or guns made at home via 3D printers. Junior Ayr Ajitabh, a gun violence issue representative for Conestoga’s Amnesty International club, highlights the importance of minimizing gun violence.
“I think the reason I picked to be a gun violence issue representative is because I think it’s o en a forgotten-about issue, or it’s just so joked about within American society because it’s so normalized, and I feel like that’s a problem,” Ajitabh said.
In addition to normalization of gun violence, there have been recent roadblocks, nota-
TESD creates Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee
is one of the two administrative liaisons on the committee.
“We (TESD) have redistricted previously in 2017, and during that redistricting, there was a committee of parents that worked with a board member and an external consultant to do the actual work,” Towle said.
According to Towle, main reasons for adding Bear Hill as a sixth elementary school include the new implementation of a fullday kindergarten in the district and the need to accommodate a bigger demographic of students who have a wider variety of needs.
“ e enrollment numbers of kids who are currently in the attendance area for Valley Forge Elementary is much higher than Devon Elementary,” Towle said. “And you want kids at elementary school to have similar experiences no matter which school they go to.”
Dr. Roberta Hotinski, chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Ad Hoc Public Information Committees, also chairs the redistricting committee. She stated that it will select members, create a work plan and
establish a timeline for the district steering committee. e steering committee, composed of board members, administrators, parents and consultants as needed, will carry out most of the redistricting work. e district will also use bus routing so ware to optimize transportation routes and other district-owned technologies to gather population information across the district.
Based on the proposed redistricting timeline, the nal plan will be presented and voted on by the board around late 2026 to early 2027, and the implementation of transition activities will begin shortly a erwards. Hotinski believes that although the transition may be tough at rst, the redistricting committee will do its best to make it as smooth as possible.
“It will be challenging, but I know that the committee members we had the last time really worked to try to create the best plan possible that they thought would be best for the community,” Hotinski said. “We’re gonna go through a thoughtful process and hopefully come up with a good plan for the community.”
bly President Donald Trump’s administration’s funding cut for community violence intervention and survivor support programs. According to an article from the Washington Post, the Department of Justice has cut roughly $811 million in funds that were intended to be allocated to gun violence prevention, addiction prevention and victim advocacy programs nationally. Deemer expressed how the funding cuts impact CeaseFirePA’s goals.
“ ey’re dismantling work that prevents violent retaliation and stops shootings before they happen,” Deemer wrote.
“ e Allentown-based organization Promise Neighborhoods is among the grantees that lost funding last week. Promise Neighborhoods works with the Lehigh Valley Hospital to provide trauma-informed care and services to shooting victims to break the cycle of violent retaliation. is is precisely the kind of work our government should be investing in. Violence intervention programs protect lives, save taxpayer dollars and build lasting community safety.”
Kind reminder: A sign outside of the Paoli Hospital in Paoli reminds visitors that guns, alcohol and smoking are not allowed inside. CeaseFirePA began advocating for such community gun safety standards in 2002.
Newspaper alumni look back at past experience, e ects on future
Reporters cover stories, impact community
roughout e Spoke’s history, student journalists have made e orts to record signi cant local events. On one occasion, Henry Rome, editor-in-chief for the 2008-09 school year, reported on a district elementary school janitor who committed multiple bank robberies and failed state background checks.
Rome worked alongside other reporters during his time to ght back against external criticism. One of their strategies was to prioritize stoganews.com, the rudimentary website for the paper, in order to provide another outlet for reporting beyond print publications. Lavi Ben Dor was the rst Multimedia Editor in charge of the website in 2011-12.
“Stories that expose problems with the school, things that the administration wasn’t adequately dealing with, (were) really valuable because I think that’s one of the core values of journalism: holding truth to power,” Ben Dor said. “Getting to do that work as a student, getting to call out the administration, getting to call out problems in school, and having the support of Mrs. Hyatt and (former adviser Susan Gregory) to do that sort of work and publish that, have the school talking about it, (and) thinking about (an) issue was just a really cool opportunity that I’m sure not a lot of schools would have a orded me.”
As a freshman in high school, Meghan Morris observed that news was shi ing more toward online spaces and recognized the need for a local news source that informed the community.
Morris went on to be co-editor-in-chief of e Spoke during the 2010-11 school year, having covered articles ranging from the lack of concussion protocol in school sports to the creation of the nonpro t Ryan’s Case for
Smiles a er a mother lost her son to cancer.
“There were still local newspapers, but they were getting thinner and thinner. That meant that there were a lot fewer professional eyes on Tredyffrin/Easttown and Chester County,” Morris said. “I saw firsthand how important it was for student journalists to make sure that we were filling the community’s needs in terms of presenting information about not just what was going on at things like school sporting events, but also the school board and other things that affected not only our students but our broader community.”
Similar to Morris, then-
Co-Editor-in-Chief Avery Maslowsky for the 2018-19 school year feels that the articles she wrote in high school still resonate with her today, such as one that initiated discussion on body image struggles.
“We did a story about body image. I just remembered that being a really impactful story because in the 2010s it was something that people didn’t
want to talk about: eating disorders and body image and body dysmorphia,” Maslowsky said. “It opened my eyes to a new side of our generation. People were willing to talk about it if you gave them the space to talk about it.”
Despite the four-year turnaround for e Spoke sta , the core values of the paper have remained unchanged for the past 75 years. Adviser for e Spoke from 2001-20 and teacher Susan Gregory felt one thing remained consistent across all of the groups of students she assisted: the quality of work produced by Spoke sta .
“Advising Spoke was a blessing for me. I worked with extremely talented and dedicated students who had big hearts and cared deeply about telling stories and making a di erence,” Gregory said. “Each class of editors passed down their ethics and values to the next class. ere became a way that we did things on e Spoke. e students made the classroom into a workplace. ey made me a better adviser and teacher.”
Former members pioneered changes, now witness shi s in student journalism
Alumni of the newspaper have adapted within e Spoke and observed shi s in journalism throughout the years.
Hyatt and Gregory worked as co-advisers in the 2000s. ey suggested decreasing the print publication’s pages, which had originally been 32, and focusing on creating fewer individual stories that were stronger.
leading the paper as it adapted to online-based reporting. Reporters could no longer have in-person interviews, and there was a change in the designation of stories with a larger focus on the website.
the di erences from when he was a high school journalist, Stewart feels that e Spoke’s ethics have remained the same.
The Spoke is so special. It is not like any other club or group at Conestoga. It is the real deal, and The Spoke is what gave me a job in journalism.
Avery Maslowsky 2018-19 Co-Editor-in-Chief and KSAT 12 News reporter
Hyatt also saw e Spoke’s sta grow from 40 to more than 60 members during her tenure. Although she witnessed subtle changes to the paper, such as a broadened community and outside-district focus, Hyatt feels that there has been a continuity of e Spoke’s standards and commitment to reporting throughout her time as an adviser.
“Since I began at Spoke and since I le , I think that Spoke really represents the student demographic here in a lot of ways,” Hyatt said. “ e Spoke has changed with the ways the school has changed. I think we’ve kept up. We haven’t been stuck in some rut. e Spoke has evolved along with Conestoga.”
A major change occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when Conestoga transitioned to hybrid learning in 2020-21 and while Sophia Pan served as a managing editor. Although sta had created the website years before, Pan faced di culties
“We had to start splitting people into primarily web-based versus primarily print-based (stories). at was a big adjustment, because before that, everybody was going into print, and web was sort of just uploading print stories and maybe a few additional pieces. COVID was the year where we had to (focus on web),” Pan said.
Currently a junior in college, Pan noted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, e Spoke has continued increasing its online presence. Particularly, it has various social media accounts and a mobile app in addition to the website, broadening its scope of content.
“I remember probably last year I was looking at e Spoke app because I still have it downloaded on my phone. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is super cool stu ,’” Pan said. “It’s nice to see that the web is getting a lot of the same love (as print).”
Since his time in e Spoke in the 1970s, Stewart has also seen changes in how the newspaper adapts to the needs, ideas and di erent media presented by community members. Despite
“ e continuity is the output, the e ort, the attention to detail, it was always there. Conestoga is one of the top high schools in the country. It was one of the top high schools in the country 40 years ago. is didn’t happen overnight. is school district has been one of the best school districts in the country for a couple of generations,” Stewart said. “I think the standards were always there. I think the standards are there today.”
Students apply skills from newspaper in current jobs
A er their time in the newspaper, alumni have used experiences from their time at e Spoke in various professions and passions. Serving as a sports editor in 1989-90, Jodi Warren now works as an interior designer. Despite not pursuing journalism professionally a er high school, she still applies skills from e Spoke within her career.
“I pull di erent pieces together (and) present them in a way that is easy for my clients to understand, whether that’s a digital mood board, or some people like me to write directions out for them,” Warren said. “ ose types of skills that I developed started in high school with a focus on English.”
Ben Dor continues to re ect on instances of pushback from
his time at e Spoke as an attorney based in the Washington, D.C. rm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He has taken on a large amount of pro bono work, cases taken on without payment, with a focus on First Amendment rights. Ben Dor said that writing, holding people accountable and protecting free speech rights are concepts he began caring about at e Spoke.
“ ere was the school cheerleader case at the Supreme Court (Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.). I led the e ort at my rm to put together a brief led in support of the student in that case. (It) was really special to kind of give back to the journalism community that had helped me because obviously it was a free speech case, but a lot of the same principles relevant to free speech rights are relevant to free press rights,” Ben Dor said. Some alumni have also recognized that their work in e Spoke in uenced their professional journalism careers. Morris currently serves as Business Insider’s Singapore Bureau Chief. She builds on many of the skills she learned at e Spoke as a professional journalist. While uncovering the links between a billionaire family in New York City and Je rey Epstein postcollege, she found her experience in e Spoke foundational to giving her a sense of responsibility.
“ at’s a pretty crazy story for somebody in their 20s to write and to take on, but I felt really emboldened by a sense of justice here (at e Spoke) and my commitment to making sure that our readers knew the truth about what was going on,” Morris said. “I think I can trace the fortitude I had in standing up to a billionaire and in uncovering some pretty signi cant allegations even back to my days as a student journalist because I learned as a teenager that it’s important to ght for the stories that you believe in.” Maslowsky currently works as a TV news reporter for KSAT 12 News, which is based in San Antonio, Texas. e Spoke played a major role in determining her path a er high school, and she continues to stay in contact with the publication. Alongside Morris and other alumni, Maslowski speaks to new generations of student journalists at e Spoke and passes on her knowledge.
“ e Spoke is so special. It is not like any other club or group at Conestoga. It is the real deal, and e Spoke is what gave me a job in journalism,” Maslowsky said. “It gave me the tools to be able to nd myself as a journalist and nd myself as a person, how I talk to people, how I network, how I build sources, how I best present myself to the community and build my brand as a journalist, and then also gure out who I am.”
In a uni ed e ort to combat domestic violence, the Chester County Sheri ’s O ce, the Chester County District Attorney’s O ce and the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County launched a collaborative training initiative known as Shear Hope. Lieutenant Janis Pickell from the Chester County Sheri ’s O ce rst thought of the idea for this educational program in 2016, a er growing up working in her family’s salon. Nearly a decade later, Shear Hope now trains cosmetologists in the county to recognize signs of domestic violence, respond empathetically and provide accessible support to those experiencing abuse.
“It’s the two sides of my life coming together. I know that from doing the work that I’ve done: I’ve done nails, I’ve done makeup, I’m an assistant. As soon as there’s some of that physical contact that you have with someone who is in distress and they feel safe, they tend to tell you more information than what you’re used to hearing,” Pickell said. “I wanted to be able to empower cosmetologists, estheticians and those types of people that were getting this information to be able to do something about it and to make a di erence.” Representatives from Shear Hope’s participating agencies visit salons to present a Powerpoint to cosmetologists. e Sheri ’s Ofce’s command sta liaison Noah Stribrny, coordinator of the Domestic Violence Center’s Lethality Assessment Protocol Program Ashley Mikos, District Attorney’s O ce’s attorney Monica Szyszkiewicz and Lieutenant Pickell held Shear Hope’s rst benchmark training in March. A er adjusting the program based on participant feedback, Stribrny wrote and shared the press release for Shear Hope with the public in April.
“At the end of the day, cosmetologists engage with these people every six weeks, every four weeks, depending on how o en they’re coming in,” Mikos said. “Just giving them the tools to understand how to ask those questions, to be supportive and be that friend or that positive relationship that they already currently are, but connecting them with resources within the county, it’s just a great tool.”
to be able to help other women, because it even goes further than just domestic violence in some ways. You’re just there to help another woman survive whatever she’s going through.” Shear Hope has a three-tiered system, where each agency plays a role. e Sheri ’s O ce focuses on the safety and security of salons when implementing training, while the District Attorney’s O ce provides assistance with legal representation. e Domestic Violence Center serves as the expert on domestic abuse and o ers counseling, housing and legal services.
e Shear Hope team plans to train more salons this summer and hopes to reach barber shops as well. Pickell said that it will focus on building its foundation in Chester County, add to the program and polish it before reaching out to Montgomery and Delaware County to potentially add Shear Hope in their areas.
“It creates that bridge to get them the resources and the help that they need to get out of that abusive, unhealthy and not normal relationship,” Stribrny said. “We’re not going to have any quantitative and qualitative data that we can point to, but the fact that we’re actually out there and that this is an o ce that takes the program seriously, and we have other agencies in the county who also recognize the signi cance and are actively involved in it, it brings great pride.”
Chester County launches domestic violence training initiative
Serving the community: Past high school journalists Meghan Morris (le ) and Liz Bravacos (right) hold an award together, recognizing their work in an article. During Morris’s time, she covered stories like the lack of school concussion protocols.
Courtesy Meghan Morris
Ashley Du Co-News
Courtesy Meghan Morris
William Simon and Nolan Talley Staff Reporter and Webmaster
On May 3, the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) held its second annual bicycle recycling event at the Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies. They encouraged people to donate gently used bikes to be refurbished and given to workers in Chester County who need reliable transportation. They collected 25 bikes during the event. TMACC’s executive director, Tim Phelps, played a key role in organizing and facilitating the drive.
“May is bike month, so (the drive) was another event we could do to help reduce trash in landfills, and to recycle (bikes) to individuals who could use a bike for transportation purposes,” Phelps said. Phelps, the executive director of TMACC for the past 14 years, enjoys interacting with the community and spreading aware-
TMACC hosts second annual Bike Drive
ness about sustainable transportation. Phelps promotes various alternatives to cars, from bikes to taking public transport.
“My favorite part (of being director) is being out in the community,” Phelps said. “Meeting with people who want to see a better transportation environment so that it’s not just about cars; it’s about walking, taking public transportation, riding bikes and having safe access to doing all those things.”
Marsha Menendez, a volunteer for Bike Chester County — an organization that advocates for a safer bike and transportation environment in Chester County — hopes the donated bikes will offer workers a clean and affordable alternative to driving.
“It’s (TMACC) a great program where we can take bikes that can be reused and give them to people who can’t afford to buy them on their own or can’t afford to buy a car to give them a means of transportation,” Menendez said.
In the future, Phelps hopes to expand the drive to additional locations and enable more bikes to be donated.
“I would like to see (the drive) have multiple locations throughout the county for people to donate their bicycles,” Phelps said. “One could be in Great Valley, another further east or further north near the Phoenixville area.”
TMACC hopes to call attention to more sustainable forms of transport and wishes their bike drives provide people with better access to transportation. By supplying workers in Chester County with refurbished bikes, it hopes everyone can have environmentally friendly alternatives to driving.
“TMACC wants people to be more aware of biking and realize that biking is a transportation option,” Phelps said. “At the end of the day, what (TMACC) is trying to get is to save bicycles from going into landfills and to give people bikes so we can foster a community of biking.”
Fostering school spirit: Peer Mediation hosts annual Unity Fair
Club bake sales, hands-on activities and a rally in the gym. On May 23, students gathered for the annual Unity Fair, hosted by Peer Mediation. The fair featured new activities and a renewed focus on community.
Junior Sophia Park, a Peer Mediation executive, helped prepare the event. Initial planning started around March, with the executive team intending to build on last year’s success while introducing fresh activities to keep students engaged.
“Our goals were just to make it fun for everyone, have it be a relaxing day after everyone has AP testing and Keystone testing and also to promote unity within the school,” Park said.
The day started with an hour-long homeroom, during which Peer Mediation members prepared the day’s activities. Students watched a video informing them of the event, wrote about what unity meant to them on a piece of paper, and looped the papers together to create a “unity chain.” After homeroom, stu -
Vanessa Chen Business Manager
Amidst the height of AP exam season, a couple of friends and I sat down at one of Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe’s outdoor tables to study and grab a bite to eat. Located inside the Wayne Train Station in the heart of downtown Wayne, the cafe is a cozy spot for students, foodies and train-watchers alike.
At 1 p.m. on a Saturday, Mad Anthony’s was fairly busy with many people going in and out, but there was still ample seating available. The cafe, named after Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne, is owned and operated by local U.S. Army Veterans and serves treats like coffee, tea, paninis and gelato.
To start, we ordered a $6.75 iced honey lavender latte, $6.00 iced blackberry matcha latte and $4.95 peach green tea lemonade. The honey lavender latte was not very sweet and had a faint floral aftertaste that was a unique twist on traditional coffee. Meanwhile, the blackberry matcha was a brighter green than most matcha, and not too grassy nor bitter. However, the blackberry flavoring was almost nonexistent, so I would recommend just ordering a traditional matcha latte. Final-
dents were allowed to explore all the activities during four 40-minute periods.
During these periods, Peer Mediation and faculty members hosted activities at the baseball field, in the gym and in rooms across the school.
Students could partake in various activities such as spikeball, painting and board games. After the four periods, specific grades were called down to the cafeteria during periods five and six so students could eat lunch.
“Instead of hosting a bunch of individual rooms, we’re assigning specific departments with doing certain games, like the math department is doing games related to math,” Park said. “We opened up a bunch more activities outside this year and we got rid of some of the stuff that people said bothered them.”
Junior Amy Li, a Peer Mediation executive, hosted an escape room in room 142 during all four periods. Participants had to solve multiple puzzles to unlock a box that held the final clue revealing the secret to school spirit, tying the challenge into the Unity Fair’s overall theme of connection and community.
“This escape room and the idea that you have to work together with the people around you to solve clues and utilize each other’s strengths — some people may be better at logic puzzles, some at physical puzzles and some at mazes — and the fact that you have to talk to one another and communicate about what clues you found and work together as a group to find the secret to school spirit, I think encapsulates the idea of Unity Fair really well,” Li said. Throughout the day, students and staff could earn points for their team, either Garnet or Gray, that Peer Mediation assigned based on homeroom teachers’ departments.
During the pep rally in periods seven and eight, students had the chance to win additional points through new games like the air mattress relay race, hula hoop contest and volleyball match.
“I like that Unity Fair signals the beginning of summer, although it’s not like directly the last day of school, but it signals the school coming to an end and a moment where we sit together and appreciate all that we’ve done this year,” Li said. “I think it’s a very good moment to bring the school together.”
Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe :
ly, the peach green tea lemonade was refreshing with a strong peach flavor, although the lemonade taste was much stronger than the green tea.
For our food, we ordered the $9.75 turkey panini on ciabatta and the $11.95 prosciutto panini on sourdough. The turkey panini had crispy bread, and the cheddar cheese, tomato pesto and avocado spread flavors melded together well. However, the sandwich was slightly smaller than expected and was only room temperature despite being freshly made. On the other hand, the prosciutto panini was served quite warm and had a perfect portion size. The prosciutto itself was a little too salty, but the roasted red peppers were a nice additional layer of flavor, although overpowering at times. The panini was also quite messy to eat, but overall very tasty when paired with a drink. Finally, after studying for an hour or two, we were craving some of Mad Anthony’s homemade gelato. The cafe serves a variety of unique flavors that are rotated on a regular basis. We ordered a two-scoop cup for $6.75, their smallest size, and opted for hazelnut espresso and roasted cashew caramel gelato. The hazelnut espresso gelato had a smooth
consistency and an aromatic nutty flavor, but minimal espresso notes. On the other hand, the cashew caramel gelato had an icier texture, and a taste resembling peanut butter that was a little too sweet for my liking. In total, we spent just under $50 for three people. The food and drinks were generally enjoyable and high quality, but the cafe was a little more expensive than others. In terms of location, while the area around the train station was noisy at times, we were able to be quite productive. Additionally,
Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe
135 N Wayne Ave, Wayne,
Waiting for a new home: Donated bikes wait to be loaded onto a trailer at the Transportation Management Association of Chester County’s
Friendly competition: Junior Krtin Ashokkumar slides across the gym floor during the air matress relay race. Peer Mediation hosted Unity Fair on May 23 with the goal to reduce stress and bring the school together, hosting fun activities throughout the day.
Lily Chen/The SPOKE
Rajan Saha Co-T/E Life Editor
Mad Anthony’s has longer hours than most cafes in the area, making it an ideal location for those who like to work later into the night. If you’re looking for a study spot with a nice ambiance and quality refreshments, Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe is the place to go!
Radiant refreshments: Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe has a large selection of delicacies, including the Panino Turkey, Peach Green Tea Lemonade and Matcha Latte. The cafe had a pleasant ambiance and was a cozy place for our study session.
Vanessa Chen/The SPOKE
Historic Yellow Springs museum holds annual art show
Filling the Lincoln Building with works such as oil paintings, ceramics, mixed media and more, Historic Yellow Springs, a history museum in the village of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, hosted its annual Yellow Springs Art Show from April 26 to May 11. The show has been running for 52 years and has grown into a community event that showcased more than 4,500 works of art by 220 artists this year.
“The primary goal of the chair of the Yellow Springs Art Show is to bring in funds to help support the upkeep of the village,” said Maureen Fendrick, a volunteer at the art show for 18 years who helps with the annual setups. “So, what we do is raise funds to help them keep everything going, from the 140 acres to the buildings and the studios and things like that. We are a major part of being able to keep the village alive.”
The art show is a juried event, in which a group of people select new artists each year. To be considered, artists are required to fill out an application and bring the jury four pieces of artwork that are ready
to present, which involves it being framed, appropriately priced, clean and more.
“There’s a lot of things that can go towards a piece of art, (such as) not looking presentable,” Fendrick said. “And sometimes the artists don’t always look at that type of stuff, and that’s what will either get them in the show, or they may get rejected, so it’s a rigorous process.” General admission for visitors is free, and anyone can purchase displayed artwork they like in the gallery. Historic Yellow Springs also hosts a variety of special events such as an opening gala and a happy hour, which require paid tickets. This year, over 8,000 people attended the show and the museum sold over half a million dollars’ worth of artwork.
Fendrick and the volunteers who help run the art show feel that it has brought joy to the community as well as given new artists an opportunity to showcase their work. The show is especially important to support the village of Chester Springs and honor the tradition of celebrating local art.
“There are moments that touch you each year throughout the show,” Fendrick said.
“You know, we’re providing traditions for families.”
Junior teaches crocheting classes, organizes clothing donations
What started as an enjoyable hobby over the pandemic quickly turned into a lifelong passion for junior Kate Orr, who crochets almost every day. But, instead of handknit ducks and octopuses, Orr has been working on something different in the past few months: blankets, hats and scarves to donate. As a Girl Scout, Orr decided to pursue crocheting for her Girl Scout Gold Award project of helping people without housing stay warm in the winter.
To support this issue, Orr decided to combat the freezing temperatures by crocheting clothing items by hand for people in need. With a team of five assistants of Girl Scouts and classmates, she organized efforts to rally students and Girl Scouts together to teach
people how to crochet and to collect their finished items. She connected with multiple Girl Scout troops and public libraries to host educational lessons on crocheting.
“Pennsylvania is known for being a very cold state. And whenever we go anywhere, I’m always like ‘Oh, there’s people that definitely need help’,” Orr said. “So, for my Gold Award, I really wanted to marry my interest with helping others. And when I thought about crocheting and what I can do through art, I just went, ‘Well a great way to infuse art and helping others would be through these means.’ So, I was like, ‘We can make things. I can do that. That’s how I’m going to help.’”
Orr’s project started in July 2023 with the Girl Scout Gold Award proposal process. She researched the impact of freezing temperatures on multiple aspects of life, such as the risk of hypothermia and breathing problems. She also learned that many unhoused people give up heating for other essentials like food or clean water, which strengthened her goal to provide warm clothing to the community.
Orr received project approval in January 2025 and started looking for community partners to build her project.
Once crocheted items are completed, Orr collects them to donate to the Cecil and Grace Bean’s Soup Kitchen, a local nonprofit organization in Norristown that provides resources for unhoused people in need. Because of Pennsylvania’s cold temperatures, Orr felt that it was especially important to support people without access to indoor heating in the winter.
“The soup kitchen is also a shelter at night, I think they’ve been upgraded to a Code Blue shelter because the one around them closed,” Orr said. “So, they have a lot of people staying there at night or around the area, so a lot of these items will be handed out at night when people are sleeping there.”
Orr’s first crocheting lesson took place on May 22, where she and her team of assistants taught a Girl Scout troop basic crocheting skills. Many of the students initially struggled, but were able to make substantial progress on their crocheted hats.
In the future, Orr aims to continue working with Girl Scout troops and public libraries to host more classes on crocheting for young students. She plans to donate at least 20 crocheted items to the Cecil and Grace Bean’s Soup Kitchen with the help of students to fulfill her Gold Award project requirements.
“It (this project) just gives you another opportunity to help others in your spare time. If you have a second to spend and you can just get a row in, you can still be making a huge impact on someone’s life. And then giving a handmade gift to someone who is in hard times is a great way to give them some hope,” Orr said. “So, I felt it was a great way to uplift people.”
With a degree in Economics from La Salle University in 1982 and a master’s in Education from Arcadia University in 1997, math teacher Paul Poiesz pursued a career teaching high school students for the past 43 years. Poiesz started teaching at Bishop McDevitt High School, where he taught
from 1982 to 1997. He then began working at Conestoga, where he has taught for the past 28 years. This is Poiesz’s final year teaching at Conestoga, and he will retire at the end of the school year.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?
A: BC Calc will always have a special place in my heart, because I really enjoy the revelation for many students that it
doesn’t have to be impossible, even though it’s got an aura of being really hard. It is a difficult course, and the pace is really fast, but the moments when students put concepts together are really awesome. Multivariable Calculus is different but also a love affair for me. I built the course when we first started it. I’m going to steal a line from Dr. DeSipio, the physics teacher: it’s a value-added
course. There’s no AP exam to race to, and we get to explore things. We can pause and consider something that is maybe tangentially related. We can consider a really wide range of topics, because there isn’t that timeline of getting done by the AP exam.
Q: Do you have any special memories from teaching?
A: The people I’ve met, the people I’ve been able to work
with and get to know and develop relationships with, that’s what it’s come down to. Whether colleagues or students, the ability to get to know people and also have them get to know you, is so important in life, far more important than Calculus or Algebra II.
Q: What will you miss about the connections you’ve formed with colleagues?
A: The math department is a great group of people. There are people that I’ve been with here for as long as the 28 years. You get to see people’s ups and downs, their growing families. You see the joys that they have in their lives and appreciate them, for them and with them. There are other people, science teachers and other departments that have people that I admire, and that when I see them in the building, I must pause and no matter how brief, I have to have a conversation with them. Sometimes there are certain people that you just don’t come across on a regular basis because of your schedules. There are certainly people that I force myself to take that minute or two to catch up.
Q: What’s something you have learned from students during your career?
A: Everybody comes from a different background, a different place, different emotions, and they’ve got to be recognized. Sometimes it takes a while to break down barriers that might exist to get through to somebody and know their story. You teach individuals, you don’t teach a subject. You don’t teach concepts, you teach people. The more that you recognize that, the better you’ll be as a teacher.
Q: What do you look forward to post-retirement?
A: I’ve spent 31 years as a track and field coach at a cou-
ple different places, and I’ve been a track and field official for 45 years. I’ve officiated the U.S. National Championships 13 times, U.S. Olympic trials three times, and I’ve been able to work a world champion-
ship as a track and field official starting races. I’ll have that in my back pocket as I retire now, and I can do as much or little of that as I want. I’ve got track and field to keep me busy and engaged and having fun.
Isabelle Emmanuel Staff Reporter
Poised to learn: Math teacher Paul Poiesz sits at his desk and displays his mug with
Isabelle Emmanuel/The SPOKE
Crocheting classes: Junior and Girl Scout Kate Orr helps a student learn the single chain pattern in her crocheting class for children. Orr assembled a team of five assistants to teach Girl Scout troops across the county.
Mary Wolters/The SPOKE
Mary Wolters Co-T/E Life Editor
Hard at work: A Girl Scout in junior Kate Orr’s class learns how to crochet for the first time. The lesson took place on May 22.
Mary Wolters/The SPOKE
Picture perfect (top): The Yellow Springs Art Show’s poster piece sits on a desk. Artist Helena van Emmerik-Finn painted the piece.
Maps of the past (bottom): Pictures of the Historic Yellow Springs hang on a wall. The Yellow Springs Art Show started in 1973 to support the village.
Lexi Lin/The SPOKE Lexi Lin/The SPOKE
Mixed media masterpieces: Artwork ranging from sculptures to watercolor pieces from the Yellow Springs Art Show sit in the museum’s gallery. The museum recognized more than 4,500 pieces of art by 220 artists during the art show, which lasted from April 26 to May 11 in the Lincoln Building. Lexi Lin/The SPOKE
Jeff’s Gist: I hate men
Editor’s note: An extended version of this story is available on spoke.news.
That title is a lie. Sort of. When I first moved to this district in eighth grade, I made a friend during my first week, and she was already calling me gay. She wasn’t right, but she wasn’t wrong. “I’m a percentage gay” is what I’ve told a few friends until this point. Some would stare me down with a hysterical, bombastic side-eye whenever I would walk with a certain guy to his seventh period class. Others would giggle with me after we found the Instagram account of some guy I found “cute” at a convention.
Near the end of summer last year, I decided to break out of my shell and slowly come out to some of my friends. I told them that I was pansexual. It was cathartic, not just because I said it out loud, but also because of the complicated relationship I have with boys. From my dad who tells me to “man up” and find a good wife in the future to the boys from my old school who abandoned tag to play basketball, many of my conflicting feelings about masculinity became insecurities. Sometimes, I just wish I weren’t a boy. Until I moved to Berwyn, I was only friends with girls who matched my quiet, gentle and reserved nature, while I drifted away from
this, I felt that I was stuck in the middle.
also wasn’t a girl, so I would never be in the full loop of what my friends were up to.
my insecurities and find myself juggling different personas that I don’t always know how to man-
With seven years of playing boys lacrosse, I wasn’t enough of a boy to play aggressive sports, but I
Review: ‘Thunderbolts*’ — flawed heroes, familiar story
Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*,” directed by Jake Schreier, explores the messier side of heroism, swapping the original, polished Avengers for a group of antiheroes with emotional baggage and questionable motives. It tries to be a more grounded, character-driven entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but ultimately falls back on familiar formulas.
Florence Pugh shines as Yelena Belova, delivering a performance that is nuanced, raw and consistently captivating — arguably the strongest element of the entire film. Her emotional depth and sharp wit drive much of the movie. However, this focus on Pugh’s character becomes part of the problem. The movie leans so heavily on her that the rest of the cast barely gets time to develop. For
Rating:
a movie marketed as featuring an ensemble, the rest of the cast, like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Lewis Pullman’s Bob Reynolds and the other antiheroes, end up as background characters. There are still standout moments. A few scenes hit surprisingly hard, especially the “shame room” sequences, where Yelena and Bob confront vivid, haunting memories of their deepest fears and regrets. This dreamlike journey into their subconsciouses offers a rare glimpse into their characters, adding weight to themes of guilt, redemption and self-reconstruction. However, one of the movie’s biggest letdowns is that the other characters don’t get their own shame rooms explored, leaving their personal struggles largely underdeveloped. The script tries to cover too many characters and plot points, resulting in a scattered narrative that sacrifices deeper character development. This makes it difficult for the film to find the right balance between its darker, introspective themes and the demands of a blockbuster action movie.
The plot itself follows a predictable arc, building into a third act that relies heavily on a cliched, overly sentimental team effort moment. The “power of friendship” theme clashes with the morally gray characters and feels unearned and rushed. While some jokes land, others fall flat. And unless viewers are caught up on several other Marvel shows and films, they’ll miss half of the context. Despite this, the movie has strengths. Its willingness to explore psychological complexity sets it apart from the typical superhero fare. Moments of genuine vulnerability and dry humor provide a human touch, while the darker tone gives Marvel a refreshing change from its usual action-driven and triumphant heroism. Though the execution falters, the movie’s effort to tackle heavier themes adds a rare depth to the franchise. While “Thunderbolts*” may not satisfy every Marvel fan, especially those expecting a high-energy spectacle like the Avengers franchise, it provides a compelling, imperfect look at Marvel’s flawed side characters burdened by their complicated pasts.
age. The majority of friends I’ve managed to make here are girls, many of whom I talk to with cha-
otic, unhinged slang like saying “I hate men” in unison. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if some associate me with the stereotypical “boy,” similar to the way I’ve associated some guys with toxic masculinity. I’ve found befriending guys to be a bit of a learning curve. Most boys probably won’t even approach me, and if they do, our interactions can be summed up in head-nodding or dapping them up with a crisp clap. I don’t exactly hate boys. It’s more so the awkward sentiment I feel between myself and other guys whom I don’t fully know.
Some of my guy friends do indeed play basketball, but they
are not the stereotypical boys I imagined. I’m fortunate to have friends from such a wide demographic here at ’Stoga, whom I will always be grateful for. Because of my peers, I have a reason to keep cracking those puns, keep holding my head high and keep smiling for everyone, even if I don’t exactly feel like I belong. At the end of the day, I make the most out of my insecurities to teach myself about acceptance, self-appreciation and empathy for others. So, this Pride Month, I’m confronting those complicated feelings, uncertainties and doubts. I just learned from a teacher that the Q in LGBTQ+ stands for queer and questioning, and I believe that I’m still in this stage, possibly for life. As far as I know, I’m as straight as that rainbow I drew in the cartoon to the left and we’ll just have to live with it, the same way that we must learn to take pride in what may feel unknown in our lives — because sometimes the most authentic identity is one that’s still in the works.
The messy side of the clean girl aesthetic
Ashley Wang Staff Reporter
“I’m going to stop eating now,” one person commented under a TikTok of a clean girl influencer showing her outfit. Despite this probably being said in a joking manner, the comment reflects the self-deprecation and jealousy that teenagers who watch videos promoting the clean girl aesthetic commonly have.
The aesthetic, a trend that emerged in 2021 with the rise of TikTok, represents a “chic” way of living filled with skincare, daily workouts and a minimalistic wardrobe.
Despite originally beginning as a “healthy” lifestyle for young women, the trend
has devolved into advertisement-based videos that endorse unnecessary products and promote unhealthy beauty standards.
Although some people argue that the trend helps young girls maintain a fit lifestyle that matches their desired aesthetic, the trend creates comparisons and insecurities more than it benefits teenagers’ ways of living. It also promotes consumerism by motivating young girls to achieve their “dream lives” through buying minimalistic products and clothes that fit into the aesthetic.
The trend’s promotion of unachievable ideals surrounding appearance and lifestyle creates heavy expectations among teenage girls, with the pressure often starting when they are young and unable to think critically about the media they consume. It can especially affect those with low self-esteem and increase their insecurity by focusing on unchangeable aspects of the body.
The trend dangerously perpetuates a slim female body and
SORRY, WE MISSPOKE
Eurocentric beauty norms like light skin, a small nose and high cheekbones. In a 2023 study by Florida State University psychology major Lily Jones on common themes found in the trend on TikTok, Jones identified 60% of video creators’ body types as thin, 66% of creators as adhering to Eurocentric beauty ideals, and only 6% of creators as nonwhite, demonstrating the trend’s focus on white and skinny influencers.
This can cause viewers who are not of European descent or don’t have a body as skinny as the “ideal” to negatively compare themselves to these influencers.
According to a 2023 study done by The Cybersmile Foundation on young adults aged 16 to 24, nine out of 10 engaged in comparisons of their bodies or lifestyles with people online.
The persistence of thin, appearingly flawless creators following the clean girl aesthetic maintains an unhealthy online comparison between viewers’ and influencers’ appearances. Creators capitalize on this comparison by selling expensive prod-
ucts, targeting impressionable people already struggling with self-confidence.
A 2025 survey by Piper Sandler Companies found that teens’ annual spending on beauty products has jumped 10% year over year and has now reached its highest level ever. According to various charts on marketing software platform CreatorIQ, makeup brands such as Tower 28, Rhode and Saie experienced booms in their earned media value — expected revenue from positive mentions in media — from 2022 to 2024, just as they became sought-after products within the clean girl community.
As the rise of social media has caused recent generations to become increasingly focused on their appearances, you must remember that your worth is not determined by your looks. It is important to remind yourself that everything different about you is what makes you truly beautiful. At the end of the day, you are enough.
In the sixth issue on page 4, photos for the article "Chess Club hosts charity tournament to raise funds for local wildlife center" are misattributed to Vivaan Krishna Ponugoti. Virat Ponugoti took the photos. On page 5, the release date is incorrectly stated as Wednesday, February 19. The sixth issue was released on Friday, April 25.
At ’Stoga, I’ve formed deeper connections after joining some groups and clubs. Still, I hold onto
Jeffrey Heng Co-Managing Editor and Columnist
Audrey Kim Co-Opinion Editor
Niki Chen/The SPOKE
In the midst of an endless doom scroll, you come across the expected — cat videos, crazy challenges and the occasional brain rot. Suddenly, something surprising appears on your feed. It’s your friend’s birthday photos, except they look more like scenes right out of a cartoon with a cute and expressive drawing style and vibrant color palette. Captivated, you scroll some more and come across photo after photo of pets, family portraits and selfies transformed into a dreamy, warm aesthetic.
This distinct style is characteristic of the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, which primarily hand-draws scenes using rich watercolor and acrylic paints to bring its films
“I
Hit backspace on the Ghibli AI art trend
to life. ChatGPT has replicated this meticulous process to create Ghibli-style images in less than a minute. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, millions have uploaded their personal photos to ChatGPT, typed a short prompt asking the program to “Ghiblify” the image and posted their Ghiblified pictures on various social media platforms, eager not to get left behind on the newly emerging trend. However, in doing so, participants not only put their personal data at risk but also disrespect the work of Studio Ghibli and dismiss the hard work of its creators. It is crucial that we hit backspace on this trend and recognize the artists, not the AI. In a 2016 interview for the documentary “NHK (The Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Special: Hayao Miyazaki — The One Who Never Ends,” Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, stated that AI-generated art is “an insult to life itself.” He
also added, “I feel like we humans are losing faith in ourselves.” Miyazaki’s statement reminds us that art is an expression of humanity — in fact, art symbolizes humani-
Additionally, creating art, especially at a professional level such as that of the Studio Ghibli team, takes years, if not decades, to learn and master. Miyazaki himself
ty itself. Without feeling or a story woven into the carefully placed lines and meticulously crafted illustrations, is there really a point to art at all?
spent years working to create his distinct, pastel style with painterly backgrounds and expressionist characters. Comic Book Resources, a website that covers comics
and pop culture, stated that one scene in a Ghibli film took about one year to animate. Encouraging the AI-generated Ghiblified photo trend is putting the jobs of the artists who have dedicated their lives to creating these beautiful, original works at risk. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the Ghibli craze is that many participants don’t know what they are even partaking in. Many comments surfacing on social media platforms praise the false idea of AI recreating the style and were oblivious to the artform and company.
A quick Google search could tell you that the Ghibli style is centered around celebrating nature. Ironically, asking AI to change one photo can consume as much energy as fully charging an average smartphone.
Beyond that, the trend raises cybersecurity concerns, especially about what is happening to users’ facial data. Managing director of
Market Hubs Lierence Li shared, “When you upload photos to these platforms, they’re not just being processed for your immediate studio conversion — they’re being stored, analyzed, and incorporated into training datasets that improve the AI’s capabilities.” This begs the question, what else is this data being used for? If the data is sold to a third party or finds its way into the wrong hands, it could lead to identity theft.
If the thought of having a personal AI-generated Ghibli-style photo, which would probably be unattainable otherwise, is enticing, just think of the artists beyond the screen when clicking send to ChatGPT. By using AI, we are robbing the art form of authenticity and prestige for nothing more than a moment of validation of being on top of a new trend. And for those who don’t recognize the word “Ghibli” beyond the trend, take a moment to appreciate its history. If the copied versions seem appealing, imagine how much you’ll love the studio’s genuine films. Flip the craze from AI-generated Ghibli art to real Ghibli art and see all AI-generated art for what it truly is — an abomination to humanity.
Bacani, freshman -
STUDENTS SPEAK OUT
As this school year draws to a close, we celebrate an incredible milestone: 75 years of The Spoke. Since 1949, this paper has chronicled the big moments and small details of life at Conestoga and beyond. As we reflect on this anniversary, we are humbled to step into our roles as co-editorsin-chief and are honored to carry the legacy of the student journalists who came before us. Much has changed since The Spoke’s first issue hit the hallways, not just in the way we design our pages or write our stories but also in how we approach student journalism itself. The past seven and a half decades have brought new tools, new
platforms and new expectations. From creating a blackand-white tabloid paper to exploring new mediums to continue to tell the community’s stories, The Spoke has grown alongside the ever-changing landscape of media — and we are proud to say it has adapted and thrived. Still, at its core, The Spoke remains the paper of record for our community and a training ground for young reporters. We ourselves have experienced hours spent editing ledes, laying out pages and learning how to ask ques -
“I’ve seen a lot of pictures online. I think it can be funny,
Lila McAveney, junior -
continued to strive towards adapting to and exceeding modern media standards, even as we navigate the shifting technologies and changing expectations of journalism today.
We know that journalism will continue to evolve, and so will The Spoke. We aim to honor the excellence that built this paper to what it is today and challenge ourselves to push it forward. We will keep experimenting, expanding our digital presence and striving to serve our readers with impactful reporting. In a time when local newsrooms across the country are shrinking, we know responsible student journalism matters more than ever.
tions and listen to the people around us. Throughout it all, our commitment to upholding journalistic principles never wavered, although it has often taken tremendous effort. Our editorial boards, both past and present, have
To our readers: thank you for supporting us for the past 75 years. To our alumni: thank you for building the foundation that empowers us to keep reporting. To our current and future staff and editorial boards: thank you for the passion, persistence and energy you put into the paper and the joy you bring into our newsroom every day.
Here’s to the next 75 years of The Spoke, and to the stories we have yet to tell.
Lily Chen and Rowan Chetty
“I
“I
Southeastern Pennsylvania stands at a crossroads regarding its public transportation. Down one road is the path of continuing to support the densely populated economic powerhouse with accessible commutes. Down another road is a Philadelphia where I-76 and I-95 are backed up beyond what was thought possible, and the over 750,000 people who use trains, buses and the subway every day will have to go without.
On April 10, SEPTA proposed its fiscal year 2026 budget. It will eliminate five Regional Rail lines, including the Paoli-Thorndale line that many members of the Conestoga community use to get to work, school and events. Bus lines will be cut and fares are also proposed to increase 21.5% on average. For the wealthy suburbs of the Main Line, these cuts don’t immediately appear as harmful as they are. After all, the car ownership rate is likely higher than the nationwide average of 92% in 2023. People won’t stop going to Philadelphia for work, school, sports or entertainment — they’ll simply drive. But, there’s nothing that can ruin a Phillies game like being stuck in gridlock and then having to inch through a sea of cars to pay a fortune for parking. In 2026, Aronimink Golf Club in Wayne is set to host the 2026 PGA
Championship, and Philadelphia will host the FIFA World Cup and MLB All-Star Game. One can only imagine how congestion can ruin these once-ina-lifetime experiences.
In an article by WHYY, Wayne Business Association president Ken Kearns said SEPTA access is “extremely important as an economic driver” for the community. If these cuts take place, SEPTA will become the economic limiter rather than the driver, as people will be restricted with the jobs and opportunities that they can take, property values will decrease, and consumer spending and social connection will be hampered without accessible transportation. These “doomsday cuts” are actually common for transportation authorities. For example, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City threatened
many cuts in the 1980s and again in 2020, but it has always been able to get its budget passed because enough constituents cared about having access to public transportation. The goal of these proposed cuts is to raise public awareness and mobilize support for SEPTA amid crucial negotiations in Harrisburg. But, they are not merely a bluff. SEPTA’s federal relief funding from COVID-19
Lily Chen and Rowan Chetty
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Niki Chen/The SPOKE
Miya Cao Co-Sports Editor
Tvisha Jani Co-Copy Editor
Faith Zantua/The
Sosi Sengal Co-Sports Editor
On April 18, the U.S. Under-16 Women’s Field Hockey Team engaged in a tight game against Germany in Valkenswaard, Netherlands. As the game went on with no clear indicator of a winner, sophomore Peyton Esposito scored a reverse goal, ending the game 5-3.
Esposito’s background in field hockey began with inspiration from her aunt, who previously played for the U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team. Esposito started playing for the club WC Eagles and began leading games in goals and assists. When she reached high school, she made the varsity team as a freshman. By her sophomore year, she became Conestoga’s leading scorer, putting up 36 goals and 21 assists and was a key player in the team’s first state championship win in 2024.
Esposito joined 23 other players selected to compete in the 2025 Four Nations Tournament held from April 14 to April 22. The coaches choose from the nationalwide pool of field hockey players based on skill and previous accomplishments.
“The U.S. team selection process is a yearlong process. You start off with a small region selection then a state wide
Sophomore plays field hockey at international level
selection, and then a national tournament,” Esposito said.
“My mom texted me while I was in my history class, and I had to sit through the class nervously waiting, so I couldn’t even focus. As soon as I heard the bell, I went straight to my phone to read the email.”
Conestoga assistant field hockey coach Emily Arnot was proud of Esposito for her accomplishment of being selected to Team USA.
“When Peyton was selected for Team USA, I was so proud of her and so excited to see how the coaching and challenges of the USA field hockey program would continue to help her grow,” Arnot said. “She is an incredibly hard worker who holds herself to the highest standard, so seeing her be selected to represent our country is so well deserved.”
Esposito soon began training for the tour with other players. They participated in camps to prepare for competition with international teams. Once players made the selection camps, beginning in December, they flew to North Carolina to train and be evaluated. From the selection camps, officials named a national team.
“At the monthly training camps, we would play for three days. It was a combination of drills, scrimmages, film and nutrition talks. It was always a very
focused but fun environment,” Esposito said. “Everyone was competing against each other for a spot while also getting to know everyone who could possibly be your teammate. It was a great experience.”
The team played five games against European teams throughout the tour. At the end of the tournament, the team had the most total points would win.
“Our game against Germany was the most fun. Our team was so connected and the energy was high,” Esposito said. “When I scored my reverse goal, it felt so rewarding, like all my hard work and practice had paid off.”
Esposito is one of Max Field Hockey’s Top 100 Players to Watch in the Class of 2027 and has played in many national-level tournaments, such as in USA Field Hockey’s National Club and Indoor tournaments. With hopes of continuing to play and one day joining the U.S. Women’s National Team, Esposito’s goals continue to grow alongside her achievements.
“I have just signed an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeliness) deal with STX (a sports equipment manufacturer) and was named top 50 players in the Class of 2027,” Esposito said. “I plan to go on and play in college and hopefully be on the USWNT to play in the Olympics.”
Thrilling throws: Sophomore pitches no-hitter
Ryan Ding Social Media Editor
On April 22, sophomore pitcher Luke Hunter pitched his first career no-hitter against Marple Newtown. The first no-hitter for Conestoga since 2016, Hunter’s pitching feat meant no batters were able to hit the ball into fair territory and reach base. The no-hitter sealed a competitive game, which ended in a 2-0 win for the Pioneers.
Following baseball tradition, the dugout and coaches did not speak of the no-hitter during the game, but Hunter knew there was a possibility of a no-hitter after the fifth inning. After the final atbat, the team congratulated him for his accomplishment.
“All my teammates rushed out and jumped with me,” Hunter said. “After the game, (head) coach Greco got me the baseball and congratulated me about it, and I was very happy.”
According to Prep Baseball PA, Hunter was ranked fifth in the state for batted ball speed
in 2024. Assistant coach Luke Turner has mentored Hunter since he made the varsity team his freshman year. According to Turner, his combination of size and strength makes him a talented hitter and fielder in addition to his pitching capability.
“As a freshman, (Hunter) was 6-foot-5, the biggest kid on the team. Everybody was looking at him to be a leader on the team, a mentally mature player, and he had a huge spotlight on him,” Turner said.
“Luke’s going to play in big games for some big teams, and it’s my job as a coach to make sure that he is ready.”
Hunter’s performance helped the team continue its five-game win streak. Despite losing five games at the start of the season, the team found its groove and started playing with renewed confidence. Turner believes the team simply needed to get comfortable and adapt to a style of baseball the program was less familiar with.
Playing on Atlantis: Alumnae find rugby success
“Once we started getting in the groove, there was no looking back. It just became confidence and resilience and realizing that it’s not going to take one guy that’s good,” Turner said. “‘How can everybody do their job, from guys on the bench, from the shortstop to the coach, to make sure that we’re putting ourselves in the best position to win?’” Hunter and the team are looking to fulfill their goal of winning the state championship. The team began practices in the fall to prepare to make a run and are confident in themselves and their ability to play.
“This is going to be a very memorable season. For some of the guys this will be their last time as baseball players,” Turner said.
“At every practice, we’re exhausting ourselves. We’re putting everything we have into it, so that when Monday comes, we’re ready to go to war against any team that gets in our way. These guys have a lot to look forward to in this playoff run, and the best is yet to come.”
Conestoga alumnae Elsa Burgo, Class of 2024, and Sarah Durant, Class of 2021, had the opportunity to play for Atlantis Rugby, an invitational rugby team. The alumnae competed with Atlantis’ senior elite women’s team in the Tropical Sevens tournament in Florida on April 18 to April 19. Atlantis is a nonprofit organization that hosts invitational rugby teams who specifically play sevens, meaning a team plays with seven players on the field at once as opposed to 15 traditionally. Atlantis’ goal is to promote youth and adult rugby. Both alumnae played on Conestoga’s girls rugby team as well as White Horse rugby team, a club rugby team based in Phoenixville. They played together for one year when Burgo was a freshman and Durant was a senior.
Burgo currently plays rugby for Elon University and Durant plays for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. To find players, Atlantis holds player identification and skills camps. However, both Burgo and Durant joined the team through connections with old coaches.
“This past year I was on the All-Stars team for North Atlantic, and we went down to Atlanta, and our team went second in the whole country,” Durant said. “Then I was honored as an All-American for this past fall, so it was like getting my name out there a little bit in random ways.”
The senior elite women’s team consists of 12 to 13 players with ages ranging from 19 to early thirties. The team played against eight to ten other teams from all over North America. During the entire first day and beginning of the second day of the tournament, the team played everyone
in their division. The team was then placed in a bracket and played through that bracket for the rest of the tournament finishing in seventh place overall.
“We went into the tournament (with the) goal not to win but to grow as a team and build that foundational element and then start growing this side of Atlantis,” Burgo said. Both players are now in Atlantis’ player pool, which means Atlantis could ask them to compete with them again in the future. Burgo and Durant both said they are open to the idea of playing for Atlantis in the future.
“I think this was a good introductory experience” Burgo said, “But now that I am getting older and kind of catching up to the age of a lot of those players, I’d really like to keep playing for them and trying to keep growing as a player.”
On the mound: Sophomore Luke Hunter pitches against Upper Darby during Senior Night on May 12. Earlier in the season on April 22, Hunter
Pinheiro/The SPOKE
Alexa Willrich Staff Reporter
Rising rugby: Atlantis’ women’s senior elite rugby team, including alumnae Elsa Burgo and Sarah Durant, poses together at the Tropical Sevens tournament. The team took seventh place overall in the tournament. Both alumna hope to compete with Atlantis again in the future.
Courtesy Elsa Burgo
High pressure hockey: Sophomore Peyton Esposito chases the ball during a game against Episcopal Academy. She played for the U.S.
Women’s Under-16 National Field Hockey Team for the Four Nations Tournament. In the future, she hopes to represent the U.S. at the Olympics.
Eshan Singh/The SPOKE
Cavalier champion: Alumna sets lacrosse records at UVA
After graduating from Conestoga in 2023, alumna Kate Galica brought her lacrosse talent to the University of Virginia (UVA) where she has continued to shine on the Division I field by setting records and winning awards in her freshman and sophomore years of college. A midfielder at Conestoga, Galica was a star player on the girls’ lacrosse team, winning Central League MVP in 2022 and 2023 and contributing to the team’s league, district and state wins in 2022. Galica also played on the varsity girls’ basketball team and the varsity field hockey team.
In her freshman year at UVA, Galica learned to take the draw, which is when two players battle for possession of the ball with their sticks to start or restart play. She set the UVA single-season freshman draw control record with 97. In her sophomore year, she surpassed the UVA single-season draw control record of 149 and the single-game draw control record of 15. Although Galica is now a strong draw-taker and the draw specialist of the team, it was not always easy.
“My draw record at UVA was very difficult. I pretty much learned how to take the draw last year. The technique and repetition that comes into the draw is huge. As a midfielder who isn’t a face-off and go-off, I can’t focus 100% on my draw work,” Galica said. “But that’s where my competitiveness comes in handy. Not wanting to lose drove me to work on my draw work outside of practice to become one of the best in what I do.”
Galica found that the Conestoga lacrosse program fostered a sense of competitiveness and taught her valuable lessons that have stayed with her throughout her college career. As Galica continues to excel, being named the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year, 2025 ACC Midfielder of the Year and to the 2025 Preseason All-ACC Team, she appreciates her Conestoga roots.
“Conestoga lacrosse taught me how to lead in different ways on and off the field. Overall, college lacrosse is very different,” Galica said.
“But given Conestoga was such a competitive program, I was able to have a tough skin and competitive mindset going into college.”
A standout game for Galica was when No. 15 UVA played No. 13 Duke on March 15, after the Cavaliers were
down six goals by the end of the first quarter, Galica rallied and scored 30 seconds into the second quarter, along with securing 11 draws and scoring another three goals. UVA went on to win 16-11. On the field, Galica is known for her speed and reliability when it comes to winning draw controls. While competing at a high level and earning accolades, Galica carries the lessons she learned at Conestoga. Along with her
Sean Forcine, head coach of the Conestoga boys’ basketball team, received the “All Area Coach of the Year” award for his leadership of the Pioneers during the 2024-25 season from the Daily Local News. Forcine’s leadership pushed his team to play at their best, securing a win in the PIAA District 1 6A Championships and end the season with a record of 22-7. His positive attitude and his efforts in coaching the team led to his recognition as one of the best coaches of the year in the area. Forcine led the Pioneers through games in the PIAA playoffs and into a win at districts — a game they had not won since 1987. The effort that Forcine has put into coaching his team pushed them to work harder. Junior and varsity player Shane O’Brien was present with the team as they celebrated Forcine’s recognition in the locker room on April 14 when the team found out that Forcine received the honor.
“We were all so proud of him because we knew he really deserved it,” O’Brien said. “He really turned this program around a ton in the past four years.”
Forcine is a Class of 2001 alumnus and became the head varsity coach after 16 years serving as the assistant varsity coach and four years as the head JV coach. During his time at Conestoga, he was a co-captain of the basketball team and also played soccer.
As a coach, Forcine focusesd on creating a team that could work past its struggles. Forcine believes in a positive attitude to strengthen the team’s chemistry and play. Using his idea of playing with a positive mindset, Forcine trained the Pioneers to connect as a team to grow their skills.
“We have these ten attitude principles and those keep us together,” O’Brien said. “Trust that your teammate has your back, make the extra pass — plays that opened up a whole new game for us.”
The team’s performance reflected Forcine’s determination to bring his team to success through
consistent training. The Pioneers learned to expand their skills as Forcine practiced defense and offense with them. Junior and varsity shooting guard Cory Hogan, who served as a captain during the 2024-25 season, looked up to Forcine’s guidance.
“Coach Forcine is one of the most caring and passionate coaches I’ve ever met,” Hogan said. “He wants to win so much but he prioritizes making his players the most prepared young adults we can be.” As District 1’s underdogs of high school basketball, the Pioneers were known for not having a player above the height of 6-foot4. Having not won since 1987, the team’s win was a significant milestone for the program at the districts stage. Forcine pushes his players to work as a team, making sure they communicate every step of the way. His energy after wins and optimism before games motivates the team even more to rely on his talent in leading them further.
“We were super proud and happy for our coach, but we weren’t surprised,” Hogan said. “He has been coaching his butt off for us, so we knew the awards were due to string along.”
Rowan Chetty Co-Editor-in-Chief
Ever since I binge-watched 65 episodes of Netflix’s Cobra Kai earlier this year, I’ve developed a curiosity in learning martial arts. Upon finding out that The Spoke’s very own junior and Co-Staff Development Director Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla is a black belt with over eight years of experience, I jumped at the opportunity to learn taekwondo, a form of martial arts with Korean origins.
At Chang’s School of Martial Arts in King of Prussia, where Sriadibhatla works as an instructor, I was given a white belt, the mark of a novice, beginning my journey into learning martial arts. The first task I took on was learning how to tie the belt around my waist. While it initially seemed like a simple task, memorizing the intricate loops proved to be difficult, taking a few tries.
Once I managed to tie my white belt, I then began practicing kicks, learning the forward rising and front swing kicks. I struggled keeping my balance and making sure that my feet were correctly planted before each kick. After practicing the basic kicks, Sriadibhatla showed me a more ad-
vanced kick only taught to brown belts: the tornado kick. The kick involves spinning 360 degrees on one leg before kicking with the other leg. At first I lost balance spinning around and lacked coordination before kicking, but after multiple attempts, I was finally able to do the kick in one motion, albeit much slower than Sriadibhatla’s demonstration. I next embarked on learning to punch. While I initially thought punching mostly involved the arms, the first thing Sriadibhatla helped me correct was my stance. After ensuring my feet were correctly planted, I began punching with force at each command Sriadibhatla gave, indicating to punch with my left or right hand. Each punch required precision and focus, ensuring I was consistent throughout each set. At the end of our time in the dojang, Sriadibhatla brought out a wooden one-inch thick board, asking me if I would be willing to try and break them. Sriadibhatla showed me the proper board breaking form, telling me to break it with the side of my hand, not the knuckles, and to make sure I didn’t stop my hand at the board. I corrected my stance, looked at the board and raised
my arm in the air. My hand hit the board with force, however it struck the board too high, not breaking it. My hand stinging, I decided to try one more time. I focused my hand above the board, picturing it going through the board. On Sriadibhatla’s command I struck, my hand going through the board, breaking it in half. Ecstatic, I high-fived Sriadibhatla, impressed that I was able to break the board in two.
Despite having no taekwondo experience, I learned kicks, punches and even broke a board in just one afternoon. However, more importantly, I sharpened my focus and grew more perseverant. From my experience in the dojang, I focused on patience and
Midfield master: University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player and Class of 2023
alumna Kate Galica travels down the field in pursuit of a goal. Galica set multiple
Sadie Chronister Staff Reporter
Breaking boards: Junior Rowan Chetty positions himself in front of junior Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla , ready to break a wooden board with a punch. Sriadibhatla taught Chetty the basics of taekwondo, a form of martial arts with Korean origins.
August Zangrilli/The SPOKE
Watchful gaze: Varsity boys basketball head coach Sean Forcine observes his players during the home opener against Upper Darby on Dec. 17. The Pioneers won 58-44 and went on to win the district championship in the 2024-25 season.
Anvita Mohile Staff Reporter
Sophomore plays eld hockey at international level
Page 10
Playing on Atlantis: Alumnae nd rugby success Page 10
Tryoneer Pioneer: Kicking it up a notch Page 11
Cavelier Champion: Alumna sets lacrosse records at UVA Page 11
SOPHOMORE’S All-Star CHEER TEAM WINS 2ND AT WORLDS
Bright blue lights dance across the stage as 22 all-star cheerleaders begin their routine. In only two minutes and 30 seconds, the team perform impressive stunts, tumbling, dance and cheer.
From April 25 to 28, sophomore Ellie Grace Crump and her cheer team, New Jersey Spirit Explosion, won second place at e Cheerleading Worlds Championship. Because the team placed among the top ten teams on the rst day of the competition, they were quali ed to perform on the second day. On the second day, they received 156.6 out of 170 possible points. Crump’s team fell short of rst place by only half a point.
“ e moment we knew we placed second was just a er our ( rst) performance. We knew that we were going to make the top three,” Crump said. “Based o of the routine and how well we performed it, since we had more diculty and a better score on day one, we knew that we were either gonna get rst, second or third.” e championship was hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Founded in 2004, over 500 teams compete at Worlds coming from 25 nations. is high-level competition marks the end of the all-star cheerleading season. In order to get to Worlds, a team must receive a bid. Paid or at-large bids are given at one of the eight to ten competitions held throughout the winter-spring season. A paid
bid is given to the two highest scoring teams in a certain division, and when the sponsor is willing to pay for both the team’s entry to Worlds and its accommodations.
“We only accept paid bids. If we qualify for an at-large (bid), which we did at a previous competition, we don’t accept it,” Crump said. “We knew later in the season we would have gotten a paid bid at a competition.”
All star cheerleading encompasses various divisions based on age, the size of the team and whether boys participate on the team. Teams can be ranked on di erent levels of di culty, ranging from Level 1 to Level 7. ose competing at Worlds must be a Level 6 team or higher. Crump participated in an all-girls senior team, with 22 girls in total ranging
from 13 to 19 years old. Each of the team’s four coaches specializes in a di erent aspect of cheer, such as tumbling or choreography.
Crump’s main coach, eapia Wilder, has run New Jersey Spirit Explosion for 30 years. Crump holds a special bond with her choreography coach, Markus.
“(Markus) always gives me pointers, corrections, he hypes me up,” Crump said. “I love my stunt group. If something in our stunt goes wrong, we make sure to talk it out about what we felt went wrong in the stunt, and then we build up from there.”
Crump has cheered for ten years and for her freshman and sophomore years at Conestoga, Crump competed on Stoga’s football cheer team coached by Margo Cannon. e football cheer
team stands on the sidelines performing and leading the audience. Junior Brynn Penny, who was in the same stunt group as Crump, commented on Crump’s admirable work ethic.
“Ellie is incredibly determined and focused,” Penny said. “She’s a very hard worker and keeps a good attitude throughout all practices and games.”
Crump believes that hard work pays o and believes that di cult practices and training can produce satisfactory results.
“My motivation is that it is all worth it in the end. Every single practice, every single performance. I got second in the World Championship. It is all worth it in the end,” Crump said. “It’s just great when the work that you put in has a great outcome.”
Sports opinion: Sports are more than just a game
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Robinson scored the winning run, but that wasn’t the only thing that made his debut special — by playing in the game, Robinson became the first Black MLB player.
Sports are entertaining to watch and to play, but they also have major societal e ects that many fans overlook while cheering on their favorite teams. roughout history, star athletes have played key roles in sparking major social movements.
Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier was more than a signi cant event in baseball. A er World War II, Black Americans made major strides toward equality, like when President Harry Truman desegregated the military in 1948. Robinson’s MLB debut symbolized the progress the Black community was making and helped transform the ght for equality from a political one to a social one. Robinson would go on
to become an active member of the NAACP and spoke at the March on Washington in 1963, according to the Jackie Robinson Museum. Some athletes have risked their careers by speaking out against injustice, even when they knew it would mean public backlash. In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali refused to join the army a er he was dra ed to ght in the Vietnam War, citing his religion and opposition to ghting Vietnamese people who hadn’t wronged him while Black Americans were struggling for equal rights. Ali was arrested and stripped of his boxing license and title, and, according to Jerry Izenberg, a sports journalist who covered Ali’s career, Americans driven by fervent nationalism viewed Ali’s stance as unpatriotic and labeled him a “coward” and “traitor.” However, as opposition to the Vietnam War grew and the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, Ali’s status as a well-known athlete resulted in him being invited to speak at colleges and universities across the country, where he fueled more opposition to the war and
became a powerful voice for the Civil Rights Movement.
Athletes continue to ght for what they believe in today. In 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality against Black Americans. Kaepernick was widely criticized for doing so, including by President Donald Trump. When his contract expired a er the season, no team signed him, and Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since. According to a 2017 article by Five irtyEight writer Kyle Wagner, “It’s obvious Kaepernick is being frozen out for his political opinions.” Although he lost his career, Kaepernick succeeded in bringing attention to racial issues in the U.S.
Athletes’ political statements are o en controversial, and those who disagree with those statements likely believe that athletes should not get involved with societal problems. However, from Robinson to Kaepernick, athletes have long created positive societal change. No matter how controversial doing so may be, athletes — and we ourselves — should continue to stand for what is right.
SCORELINE
Fearless flips: Sophomore Ellie Grace Crump spins in the middle of a double full twist at her team’s performance at the Cheerleading World Championship in Orlando, Florida. Crump and her team, New Jersey Spirit Explosion, won silver at the championship. In the future, she hopes to continue cheering through her high school and, potentially, college career.
Courtesy Front Row Photos
Grace Hu Sta Reporter
Eshan Singh Co-Opinion Editor