Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 73 No. 7
June 5, 2023
www.spoke.news
taking a stand Jewish community responds to antisemitic vandalism in T/E
Lily Chen/The SPOKE
Speaking out: Chesterbrook resident and Holocaust survivor Howard Griffel speaks at a Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors meeting on May 22 about his experience with antisemitism as a youth and his reaction to reports of swastikas spray-painted in various places in T/E. Upon finding a swastika spray-painted near his residence, Griffel posted photos of the vandalism on the social media app Nextdoor to inform the T/E community and joined T/E Jewish Connections, a local group founded by Lisa Schreiber to combat antisemitism.
By Tanisha Agrawal, Lily Chen and Howard Kim Co-Sports Editor, Design Editor and Co-News Editor There is rising concern among members of the Tredyffrin/Easttown community due to reports of multiple incidents of antisemitic vandalism in T/E over the last two months.
On March 25, the Tredyffrin Township police received reports of antisemitic symbols spray-painted in the Gateway Shopping Center and on township property on Valley Forge Road. The following day, a passerby discovered swastikas on signs near Valley Forge Middle School’s athletic fields and contacted the police, who discovered more graffiti in restrooms outside the school. On the same day, TESD Superintendent Dr. Richard Gusick and Valley Forge Middle School
Principal Matthew Gibson addressed the symbols in an email sent to all T/E parents. “We strongly condemn this and any hate speech,” Gibson and Gusick wrote. “These symbols, slurs and personal attacks do not represent the community we strive to be.” In addition to denouncing the vandalism, they stated that the district administration was working with the police to investigate the incident and hold any person involved accountable.
“I’m very happy that (school staff and administrators) are willing to take (antisemitism) seriously because if we just ignore the problem, it’s only going to get bigger,” said Jewish sophomore Dean Rindner, a member of the Shalom ’Stoga Club. Four days later, the police arrested a 15-year-old male on suspicion of spray-painting the graffiti on the signs and restrooms. The Chester County Juvenile Probation office charged him with ethnic intimidation and criminal mischief.
Starting on April 20, T/E residents discovered seven more acts of antisemitic graffiti throughout the district. Over the span of three days, community members reported seeing graffiti in multiple locations, including outside Jenkins Arboretum and Gardens and inside the Forge Mountain neighborhood in Chesterbrook. The police investigated the situations but, as of May 31, have not charged anyone for these acts. Tredyffrin Township District 2 Supervisor and former
president of the Chesterbrook Civic Association David Miller was shocked when he learned of the spray-painted swastikas in Chesterbrook. “When I saw the photographs of the swastikas painted on some of the signs in Chesterbrook, I was horrified and shocked and immediately knew that we needed, as supervisors, to put out a very, very strong statement condemning the actions of whoever did this and expressing support for victims of hate crimes in general,” Miller said.
Chesterbrook resident Howard Griffel discovered one of the first swastikas spray-painted on a neighborhood sign on Chesterbrook Boulevard. The next day, his grandson spotted another swastika near Glenhardie Golf Course. For Griffel, a Holocaust survivor who spent his early years in a displaced persons camp after World War II, these symbols evoked “shock, then sadness.” Continued on page 3.
All-School Scholar recognition moved to Awards Night Mary Wolters Staff Reporter
The Conestoga administration revised the senior graduation ceremony’s practices regarding awards announcements, starting with the Class of 2023. They moved the acknowledgements of All-School Scholars to Senior Awards Night, instead of calling them out alongside a graduate’s name during senior graduation, as it has previously done. Students earn the All-School Scholar award after maintaining a weighted GPA of at least 4.8 by the third marking period of their senior year, completing at least 20 academic credits and earning passing grades in all subjects. In previous years, AllSchool Scholar students received a special cup and cord alongside their high school diploma at graduation as an acknowledgement of their accomplishments. This year, the All-School Scholars will be invited to attend the Senior Awards Night on June 1, during which Conestoga will grant the students their awards. According to Conestoga Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger, the administration wanted graduation to be “a night where the accomplishments of all graduates are celebrated, not distinguishing specific achievements.” Senior class advisers Richard and Amy Hawkins believe
the changes will improve the awards ceremony experience for All-School Scholars. In previous years, the administration did not directly inform students if they were All-School Scholars before the ceremony, which led to some confusion amongst students as to who had received the award. Many students also misplaced their cup soon after the ceremony, and the administration had to re-identify the students to return their awards. “It’s logistically (harder) up on stage to have the diploma, the cup and the cord (because) that’s a lot for a person to do as they go across,” Amy Hawkins said. “So, I think that it will actually be more special having an awards night where the kids get to know ahead of time and have the cord that they get to wear into graduation instead of (receiving it) on stage.” The Senior Awards Night is held before graduation in the auditorium every year. Many different awards are granted to students, including special community service and leadership accolades. This year, more students will be in attendance for their All-School Scholar award. “It’ll be a smaller ceremony (than graduation), but I think it’s more special,” Amy Hawkins said. “They get to have that time to enjoy (the award), and then they’ll know going into graduation the following week.”
Saktisri Gowrishankar/The SPOKE
Lab layout: Science labs in Devon Elementary School are set up for various scientific experiments and activities. In the past, elementary science curricula in TESD was largely focused on the completion of labs. The new state-mandated changes will integrate other STEM fields, like engineering and technology, into lessons.
Science curricula to change district-wide Saktisri Gowrishankar Staff Reporter
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has spent the last 10 years updating the state’s science curriculum standards, known as Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy, & Sustainability standards (STEELS), and the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District has recently begun plans to adjust science curricula to these new standards. In 2012, Pennsylvania implemented Next Generation Science Standards in various states, the result of a nationwide effort to improve science education, replacing the 1993 and 1996 standards. Pennsylvania spent an additional 10 years considering science curriculum needs, thus creating the STEELS standards. Schools will begin implementing the new standards state-wide by July 1, 2025. TESD arranged pilots of new lesson plans and summer workshops for teachers to initiate the process. Kim Morris, the district’s
science curriculum supervisor, is in charge of transitioning staff to the new curriculum. “Science and technology and engineering and math; all of those subjects work together to solve a problem,” Morris said. “There is no one content area that can solve the problems that we have in society today, in and of itself. The new science standards are reflective of that collective understanding and integrative approach.” The elementary schools will be getting a completely new curriculum, while the middle and high schools will see a few changes. All
the changes emphasize a greater connection to the real world and incorporate more engineering and technology. Science PSSAs will move from fourth to fifth grade, and Biology Keystone exams will be updated to fit the new standards in the 2025-26 school year. Staff are looking at the current curriculum and other districts’ changes to determine the best plan of integration. Morris hopes the new curriculum will encourage an interest in science for young students. “My hope is that creativity will begin to come out even more (in
Saktisri Gowrishankar/The SPOKE
Caterpillars in cups: Elementary science teacher Wendy Prothero gives her students caterpillars to observe as part of the district’s current lab-based science standards. TESD has developed plans to shift to the new STEELS standards by 2025.
the elementary school students), and they will be able to see themselves as scientists,” Morris said. “Not traditional scientists, but as someone who has a creative mind that can use all of these different content areas to come up with really viable solutions to problems that we have today.” The Science Standing Committee, a group of teachers and staff across the district, are leading the curriculum changes across the district. Wendy Prothero, a second grade classroom teacher at Devon Elementary School and member of the committee, is a large proponent of the current lab-based and hands-on science curriculum, but recognizes that changes were necessary. “I’m a little anxious about (the new curriculum) because change is hard. To have everything brand new in science is going to be challenging,” Prothero said. “I think it’s time for new standards. The old standards have been around for a long time, so I understand why we’re getting them, and I’m sure I’ll embrace them.”
Jake Tsang, a freshman in various science-related clubs, can still remember experiments from elementary school and said his passion for science started at a young age. “I think science education is important because it’ll help create new future scientists who will find new technologies which help better the world,” Tsang said. “I think the more we focus on education and making it interactive and interesting, the more experience people will have and the more, hopefully, they’ll enjoy it.” Scan the QR code below to watch an accompanying video package!