The Spoke Issue 1 2025-2026

Transit turmoil

SEPTA enacts service cuts, judge orders reversal

By Ashley Du, Tvisha Jani and Paige Vachris, Co-News Editor, Co-Copy Editor and Sta Reporter

Standing by hand-painted signs urging viewers to “Save the train,” senior Daniel Loza waits at the Paoli SEPTA station to catch a train for his orchestra rehearsal in Center City, Philadelphia. In August, as SEPTA started enacting service cuts, Loza joined other community members with growing concerns over the transit agency’s plans.

“When (SEPTA) announced that they were planning to eliminate (the Paoli- orndale) line in January, I thought it was a bit ridiculous, because the Paoli line is one of the most heavily used ones in this entire Philadelphia area, but it would also just make getting around a lot harder,” Loza said.

On Sept. 14, following a court order, SEPTA restored full service. However, that same day, it also moved forward with a 21.5% fare increase.

Within the past year, SEPTA enacted a pay freeze, stopped hiring non-essential employees, refrained from traveling to conferences and began implementing plans including service cuts and fare increases to reduce its

budget gap. SEPTA Senior Press O cer John Golden said that the transit agency struggled with decreased ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic and has faced rising operational costs since then.

“In November of 2024, Gov. Shapiro redirected $153 million in highway capital funds to SEPTA, which allowed us to avoid severe cuts and fare hikes and continue to operate for the rest of the scal year,” Golden said. “But that was kind of only a quick x so to speak. Since at least the summer of 2024, we’ve been warning anyone who would listen of signi cant service cuts and fare increases due to an underfunding situation.”

By the start of its 2025 scal year on July 1, SEPTA faced a $213 million budget de cit. State lawmakers, amid a month-long budget impasse, were not able to agree on a funding solution before SEPTA decided to move forward with service cuts.

SEPTA’s originally planned cuts included a 20% service reduction in August, followed by a 21.5% fare increase in September. e transit agency moved ahead with its plan on Aug. 24 and 25, eliminating 32 bus routes and shortening 16 more, reducing service on other routes and ending all special service, such as Sports Express. A second round of cuts would have begun in January 2026, removing an additional 25% of service and eliminating the

Fire company nishes new station

garage areas for emergency vehicles to be stored; improved living conditions for sta ; an emergency operations center; and safeguards to prevent personnel carcinogen exposure.

from engines and ambulances from the building.

e new re station still has an exhaust system, along with new red, yellow and green zones to further prevent carcinogen exposure.

shared bunks for the men and women. e new station has multiple showers and bathrooms, as well as additional bunking facilities. It also includes an enhanced training area and expanded gym in the basement.

Paoli- orndale line, which services the Main Line. George Bochetto, co-founder of the Philadelphia law rm Bochetto & Letz, led an emergency lawsuit on Aug. 27 to the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. He presented a case claiming that SEPTA created a false narrative of an inability to pay for service to riders in order to extract more funds from the state legislature. “When we examined witnesses in court, when they were on the witness stand under oath, it was plainly obvious that they had ample funds in a bank account known as the stabilization fund so that they could have maintained full service to all the riders even though they’re still going through this budgetary

would have the

funds to continue full service with all riders while they await the budget outcome.” e court conducted two days of hearings following the lawsuit and decided to impose a temporary injunction, a court order that barred SEPTA from cutting additional services to riders. A er another hearing with Bochetto and his team on Sept. 4, Judge Sierra omas Street issued an order for

hikes to

say it, and I know it isn’t necessarily a good re ection on government o cials and everything, but they were lying to the public about their nancial status,” Bochetto said. “We really called SEPTA out and stopped what was a very painful series of cuts in services, particularly to inner city residents, minorities, low-income people — they were a ected the most. ey were paying the highest price because that’s where most of the cuts took place. With regard to the fare increases, the case is not over. We’re now going to show how the fare increases are totally unnecessary and illegal, and we’re going to try and get those eliminated as well.”

“I

District responds to bomb threat

On Aug. 28, the Tredy rin Police Department responded to a bomb threat at Conestoga from an unknown individual who called a 911 Philadelphia call in the early morning. e district received the the notice at approximately 6:15 a.m., announced a two-hour delay and later extended it to three hours, to allow local law enforcement time to clear the building of a potential threat. Shortly a er 9:00 a.m., township police ultimately ruled the threat a hoax. e local police are currently conducting an active investigation.

needed to use the cameras to inspect anything.”

Once all custodians, cafeteria workers and sta had le the building, local police worked with K-9 units from other local municipalities to ensure the school building was safe. e district originally anticipated a two-hour delay but prepared for a longer delay based on the time it would take to clear the building of a possible threat.

“Our rst thought was (that the search would) take at least two hours, we’ll do a delay, knowing it might last longer because you don’t know the particulars,” said Dr. Chris Groppe, director of safety and student services.

ously-scheduled lockdown drill during homeroom. During the school day, teachers reviewed emergency safety protocols with students.

e district’s website safety overview page states that the school administration is committed to ensuring the safety of its students and conducts regular safety audits of its buildings. Gusick believes the safety protocols that Conestoga implements are ever evolving.

Tredyffrin

Easttown

ship, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, Sen. Carolyn Comitta and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan combined efforts to nish it. Andrew Emory, president of the Berwyn Fire Company, feels that the new re station is benecial to the sta because of its improved housing and facilities.

“I think the community should be very proud of the station that was built and the investment by the townships and the station,” Emory said. “As we continue to grow as a re company, it’s going to provide our re ghters just a great place to live and work.”

e reconstructed re station is approximately 20,000 square feet and cost an estimated $10.5 million to construct. It features four apparatus bays, which are

e Berwyn Fire Company built its old re station in 1929. e building had problems with vehicle storage, as re ghters had di culty maneuvering the re engines into the apparatus bays and had to back them in diagonally.

e new station has four larger apparatus bays that provide enough space for the engines and ambulances, as well as the possibility of getting more equipment and vehicles, according to Emory. In addition, the station features a larger emergency operations center to ensure more e cient communication during emergency responses.

e re station also has new protections for its re ghters against carcinogen exposure, as carcinogens from res can contaminate their clothes. Previously, the re station had exhaust mitigation systems in the apparatus bays to help remove exhaust

e red zone is for re ghters to wash and store their clothes. It is a physically separate room with its own ventilation system to ensure contaminated air is restricted to the red zone. e yellow zone creates a transition space for reghters to change, while the green zone is safe for everyone.

Mike Wacey, a supervisor of Easttown Township, appreciates these new carcinogen procedures for improving the station’s safety.

“When a re ghter comes back from a re, they are coated in small particles. ese little particles can over time cause cancer or respiratory distress,” Wacey said.

“So having (the station) split into red, yellow and green (zones) really helps to make the rehouse a safer place for everybody.”

In addition, the station had outdated and compact living quarters for sta and volunteers. Previously, there was only one shower in the re station and

While workers reconstructed the re station, the Berwyn Fire Company operated from its other station at 1485 Valley Forge Road. It bought two houses on 737 Berwyn Ave. behind the station for additional sta living space. e Berwyn Fire Company set up two tents in the houses’ driveways for a re engine and two ambulances.

Wacey appreciates the reghters’ newly improved living quarters a er the reconstruction.

“I think the most rewarding part is seeing that these people, the re ghters and EMS people, who literally save people’s lives every day, have a reasonable place to spend their time. Right now, they’re in tents, they’re in houses that are falling apart,” Wacey said. “So I will really enjoy seeing them in an environment that is safe and gives them the ability to do the job that I know they do an excellent job at.”

“I think the rst thing is just to make sure that the building itself is safe at the time,” said Dr. Richard Gusick, Tredy rin Easttown superintendent. “We assisted (the police) with whatever they needed with respect to the camera system that we have in place. Our administrators worked with them if they

“It’s really a case-by-case basis in terms of how much of a delay.”

In light of the threat, the school district administration plans to reinforce its existing safety procedures. On Sept. 3, principal Dr. Amy Meisinger emailed Conestoga parents that the school conducted a previ-

“ e set of safety procedures that we have in place is constantly under our own scrutiny and review, and if we see opportunities to make an enhancement, then we would take the opportunity to do that,” Gusick said. “It (changing the safety procedures) is an ongoing process where we’re always looking at the safety protocols that we have in place.”

In Gusick’s letter to the community following the bomb threat, he stated the district is committed to providing mental health support for students anxious about possible school emergencies. Conestoga has 10 guidance counselors and three mental health specialists who can help students navigate any anxiety they are experiencing.

“It’s hard to say to someone, ‘Just don’t worry.’ I can understand where that fear or concern comes from based upon the things that we are seeing in the broader environment. I’m sympathetic to people who are feeling that way,” Gusick said. “If a student identies themselves or somebody else identi es them as

THE

Conestoga brings baCk

Wellness Wednesday

Conestoga administration decided to bring back Wellness Wednesdays in place of Take Care Tuesdays from last year. They will take place on the last Wednesday of every month. Lunch and Learn will provide more time for students to participate in wellness activities. There will also be a two-to-five minute school-wide activity during one period in the day.

Pa budget imPasse halts

sChool distriCt funds

School districts across Pennsylvania have missed their third monthly payment from the state amid a budget impasse that has frozen $3 billion in funds. School leaders are urging state lawmakers to come to a solution as some school districts are forced to take out loans. These delayed payments coincide with other state budget issues such as SEPTA’s funding crisis.

Jimmy kimmel live! returns after susPension

Disney, parent company of ABC, suspended the show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Sept. 17 following backlash about comments made on the show regarding the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. After holding conversations with Kimmel, Disney reinstated Kimmel’s show, which returned on Sept. 23.

u s investors to take over tiktok’s oPerations

On Sept. 25, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, completing a deal that allows for the transfer of TikTok to U.S. investors. They will take over the majority of TikTok’s operations, complying with a law that would have banned TikTok due to safety concerns had it not been sold to a U.S. owner.

Code of Conduct changes for 2025-26 school year

Conestoga administration made changes to the Code of Conduct in hopes of supplementing, refining and reinforcing rules for the 2025-26 school year. This year, administrators focused on disciplinary actions in student attendance and implemented new rules regarding nicotine products and gambling.

“Every year we review (the Code of Conduct) and we notice things that change, or things that are not really supporting students or not really addressing a certain area with the students,” said Dr. Patrick Boyle, 12th grade assistant principal, who helps oversee the code’s update process. “We review that at the end of each year, and then we make some changes if necessary.”

In April, the state of Pennsylvania began requiring all schools to count students’ unexcused absences for truancy. This year, administration is regulating student attendance more firmly by implementing more procedures and consequences for violations. Lateness before the conclusion of homeroom will be counted as truancy, and if students are late to school after homeroom, there will be an accompanying Evening Supervised Study, a two hour detention after school.

If students are absent for more than half of the educational day, they cannot participate in any club-sponsored event, athletic game or extracurricular activity.

“In years before, if students only showed up for one period of the day, they were still considered in school for that day. (Being in school for one pe-

riod) was like a total absence, so (the state of Pennsylvania) changed it,” 10th grade assistant principal James Bankert said. “That change went into effect for us last year, and the new change for us this year is that there is a different discipline consequence. There’s the kid who oversleeps five min-

utes versus oversleeping three hours — we drew that line as before or after homeroom.”

In addition to traditional vapes and cigarettes, administration also extended the Code of Conduct to explicitly prohibit students from possessing, using or distributing any nicotine product while on school

property. Any students found distributing such products will also face harsher consequences.

“If someone brings a vape to school and they have a meeting in the bathroom with friends, everyone will receive discipline, but the person providing the nicotine receives more discipline. We consid-

Wilson Farm Park undergoes renovations

On July 17, the Tredyffrin Township began renovating Wilson Farm Park. Starting with the Tot Lot near the lake, playground equipment and pavilions are undergoing renovation for about eight weeks at a time per section. The township also started updates in other areas of the park by repaving pathways and making additions to the performance stage. Township administration has additional plans to improve infrastructure and create new spaces for public convenience alongside the main renovations. The major purpose for renovating the park was incorporating stormwater collection into the area by the lake.

now is a stormwater project — they’re doing an infiltration bed down below the ground.”

With construction starting in mid-July, the township plans on completing the park renovations by late November. The majority of the changes around Wilson Farm Park have been repairs, such as updating surveillance cameras and electrical works, along with resealing pathways and repointing stonework. Construction workers also began work on certain features for public safety, including a fence on the residential side of the park to keep sports activities away from the walkers along the paths. In addition to the fencing, the township has plans to install outdoor ceiling fans and lighting in the pavilions.

and remodeling the playground to become larger. Senior Victor Pan visits the park often for cross country practice. Having frequently spent time at the park since elementary school, Pan is a little disappointed to see the area change but is still interested in the updates. He is also eager for his younger brother, Shepard Pan, to use the new playgrounds.

“He (Shepard Pan) also goes there a lot with me,” Victor Pan said. “I think he’s been pretty excited about it, since he hasn’t been able to play there.”

Weather permitting, the park renovations are set to finish within the next two months. After finishing the Wilson Farm Park changes, township administrative officials hope to begin renovating the nearby Friendship Park.

“We started off with the Tot Lot pavilion and took down the entire all-abilities pavilion,” said Colleen Capello, Parks and Recreation Coordinator for Tredyffrin Township. “What you see

While there will be modifications all around the park, township administration is interested in adding areas for children to play in, including a gaga pit,

“Everyone’s excited to see improvements in the park,” Capello said. “They love the park — it’s beautiful as it is, but they’re excited to see it refurbished.”

On June 11, the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District launched the remodeled version of its website. The district made the decision to remodel its website because a new web vendor called FinalSite acquired its previous web vendor, Blackboard. The change in vendors required the district to migrate to the FinalSite platform. The transition started in early spring, taking several months of planning and training to execute.

District communications specialist Chris Connolly and teacher on special assignment Lisa Lukens led the efforts to make this transition. They worked closely with the FinalSite administration and used resources provided by the vendor to familiarize themselves with the platform, creating a website template that resembled the previous version. Afterward, they trained school web team members who have editing

er that distribution,” Bankert said. “We’ve had instances where older kids will have it, and younger kids walk into the bathroom. The older kids say they can try it, and they all get caught. (The Code of Conduct) reflects extra responsibility in the person who (initially) bears the product.”

The Code of Conduct also features a new section for gambling, which has always been implicitly prohibited in Conestoga’s school policy and became codified this year. Gambling is not allowed on campus, on district transportation, at any district function or on any district platform.

School administrators met with teachers over the summer to review and discuss the additions to the code. During the first week of school, all students reviewed the new Code of Conduct in their homerooms, during which they signed an online form to agree to the terms.

“The idea of being in school is the educational component that (students are) supposed to be having,” Boyle said. “All the things in a Code of Conduct lead us to try to create an environment where all those students can have the best educational programming possible and experience as possible in Conestoga.”

Chester County expedites $75K to food bank

Among other federal budget cuts, the United States Department of Agriculture canceled an estimated $250,000 food order for the Chester County Food Bank in April. In response, Chester County Commissioners expedited the final $75,000 installment of an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to the Chester County Food Bank in early August. Expediting the grant allowed money awarded from ARPA funding to reach the bank faster and facilitate the continuation of food services provided by the bank.

The bank produced 6.1 million pounds of food in the 2025 fiscal year, a million pounds up from 4.6 million in the 2024 fiscal year. Only a portion of funding from the USDA given to the bank was cut, and bank officials aim to continue thriving with measures such as fundraising

through the community and emergency funds if necessary.

Director of Community Relations at the Chester County Food Bank Nicholas Imbesi believes the food bank can overcome the budget cuts and continue increasing its production for the community.

“We’re fundraising six to seven million dollars a year. We depend on our generous community, private donors, corporations, small businesses and foundations a lot,” Imbesi said. “We also run food drives all the time. We partner with other organizations and groups on community events.”

The Chester County government also launched a monthlong donation drive in July under the Chester County Steps Up Initiative. The government partnered with the Chester County Food Bank to establish five collection sites around the county where Chester County government employees were able to donate food throughout the month.

District remodels website using new vendor

rights and support their individual school’s webpage.

“Lisa conducted special, indepth training sessions with school web members, as they are responsible for updating the school websites and providing website support and training for staff in their buildings,” Connolly wrote in an email response. “The trainings covered how to navigate the new platform, update content, manage pages and ensure accessibility and consistency across the site.”

The web team consists of all department chairs, as well as staff from the administration and library. The web team updates the district and school websites, either daily or as the need arises. All departments are responsible for making occasional updates or posts on the website that pertain to their roles within their school and in the district. At Conestoga, the web team is headed by librarian Brooke Hauer.

“We all work together and each person does their own area on the website. Everybody works together to make

it as good as (it) can be,” Hauer said.

When remodeling the website, Connolly and Lukens aimed to preserve the overall look and feel of the previous site to minimize disruptions to families, students and staff. They prioritized accessibility and easy usage but also tried to take advantage of FinalSite’s advanced features such as more customizable templates and branding. They said the website has received positive feedback from district residents, attributing this response to their regular communication with community members to keep them informed and prepared for the transition.

“I’d say the website has a modern and minimalistic feel,” said senior and Computer Science club co-president Prranit Arora. “Initially you see that screen-wide image and the buttons are more orderly and there is limited options at once. I feel like it gives a more modern aesthetic that the school may want to portray.”

The drive collected 692 pounds of food and $760 in virtual monetary donations, with nearly 100 individual contributions.

Amy Cuthbertson, the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of Chester County, was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the donation drive. She felt happy with the results of the drive and the opportunity for employees to give back. Chester County Steps Up will remain active, and its next event is a collection drive for the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County in October.

“We wanted a way to supplement that involved employees, because Chester County feels that being a county employee is about public service more than a job,” Cuthbertson said. “We wanted to try to celebrate that idea of public service, and we came up with the Steps Up Initiative to showcase how our employees give back and step up when it matters the most.”

Community discusses SEPTA funding plans, responds to changes

Continued from page 1. e House bills stalled in the Senate. Some Republican legislators supported the use of capital funds to cover the de cit but maintained that safety and accountability reforms must accompany the funding.

In response to the judge’s reversal, SEPTA sent a letter on Sept. 5 to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation requesting to transfer $394 million of its capital budget funds to operating funds. On Sept. 8, the Shapiro administration directed the department to approve SEPTA’s request to use capital funds. e approval gave SEPTA the exibility to transfer money for long-term projects, such as bridge repair, trolley modernization and new equipment, to be used for its operating expenses such as payroll, fuel, cleaning and maintenance. According to Golden, the transferred funding and revenue from the fare increases will help SEPTA avoid service cuts for the next two years.

on the part of Republican legislators to new transit funding.”

“At that point we were pretty much forced to go to PennDOT or the state of Pennsylvania and request a waiver to use those funds from our capital budget program and transfer that into our operating budget,” Golden said. “It (the transfer is) not really a solution because, again, we’re looking for recurring sustainable funding, not these quick xes that will just buy us time. So, we’re still going to keep working with the legislators

in Harrisburg to secure that reoccurring sustainable funding.”

Students, community members face transportation challenges, concerns

SEPTA’s service cuts and fare increases have a ected riders in the Tredy rin/Easttown area. Additionally, community members such as Keval Parikh, a Conestoga parent and day-today SEPTA commuter, have had concerns about the e ects of decreased public transportation on the environment.

“It (SEPTA) is for everyone, from young to old, for disabled, for college students and for people working. It connects the suburbs with downtown, and it’s all so important,” Parikh said. “It reduces your driving, it reduces pollution, and it’s cost e ective as well. e center city areas are very expensive for parking. Plus, it is time e cient. (From) my home to my o ce, it’s just 42 minutes. If I go by car, it would be more than an hour and a half in tra c, so it’s the best service I feel.”

Junior Danyan Yang is co-president of environmen-

tal club Greening ’Stoga Task Force. She feels that, despite the restored service, the increase in fare prices will also cause economic pressure on commuters.

“Some people don’t have the option to drive because they might not have a car. ey might not be able to pay the gas prices. So I feel for people to make their living that’s one thing,” Yang said. “ en another thing, just coming from an environmental perspective, is that people who want to drive less and be more eco-friendly want to take the train, but sometimes because of those prices, it’s so hard.”

In addition, Loza sees the fare increases as a potential barrier for accessible transportation and a cause for major disruptions in daily life.

“ ere’s a lot of people in the city who rely on SEPTA to get to work. And even like a dollar increase, if they have to pay that extra dollar for every single rider or whatever the increase was,” Loza said, “I think that would de nitely a ect people nancially.”

Golden recognizes the fare increase’s negative e ect on commuters. He also sees the in-

from Securly, a digital student safety company.

Students attend classes in Conestoga for the new 2025-26 and reach into their backpacks for the same district-issued device models — marking the rst time that all Conestoga students are using a district-issued laptop since the 2015-16 school year, in which school administration rst o ered the option of using a bring your own device (BYOD).

“I actually really like that I don’t have to use my own (laptop),” said freshman Stella Sau, who originally planned to use a BYOD in her rst year. “I feel like bringing your own one that you use for personal use is kind of different from the school one. I like having separate ones, because I could be working in here, and then I’d get home, and I’ll switch to Net ix or something.”

O cially starting this year, the Tredy rin/Easttown School District and Conestoga administration have implemented changes to regulations and practices regarding technology. Conestoga transitioned all students to only using district-issued devices and to following adjusted language for phone usage within the Code of Conduct. Fi h graders received new Dell Chromebooks, and the district has started using features

At the Jan. 9 school board education committee meeting, the board discussed and agreed on a suggestion of removing the option of BYOD for all Conestoga students starting this school year. Director of Educational Program Dr. Mike Szymendera oversees the district technology department and said that the reasons for the change were mainly BYOD having the potential to create distractions; BYOD holding the ability to access applications more easily than district laptops for academically dishonest practices; BYOD

encountering functionality issues; sta not being able to guarantee help for BYOD users in comparison to those of district-issued laptops; and safety concerns.

“We had to transition somehow to get everyone access, and that’s why we started with bring your own device,” Szymendera said. “Since then, a personal device has really changed the way it functions. We started talking with the sta at the high school, and there were a lot of things that were emerging as reasons to consider ending bring your own device.”

On Feb. 4, Szymendera sent an email to all Conestoga guardians

informing them of the change.

Senior Suri Ahn used a BYOD in the past and has mixed feelings toward the requirement.

“I’ve seen a lot of downsides because — especially like senior year with college apps — it’s hard for me to navigate using (the district-issued device) versus my Mac,” Ahn said. “I get the thing with the text messaging on the Macs. at’s been a problem, but I still think they should have stuck with BYOD ’cause I’ve never really had any (functionality) issues with my Mac.”

District administration also decided to start switching current and future h graders to using Dell Chromebooks. Reasons for the transition include Dell changing its price o erings for PC laptop options — which would have required the district to pay more for similar options — and other bene ts such as being web-based.

Alongside laptop changes, Conestoga administration updated the 2025-26 Code of Conduct on explicit phone regulations: Students cannot have cell phones out unless directed by teachers; teachers will implement strategies to uphold the requirement, which “may include requiring students to store phones in classroom spaces provided, in students backpacks, or in lockers”; and students

crease as essential for SEPTA to continue its services.

“Nobody likes to pay more for the same service, but we believe that those fare increases were necessary to sustain service and sustain our operating status. It’s been a mixed bag,” Golden said. “Some people are very much supportive of SEPTA, and they understand that SEPTA is an economic engine that drives the rest of the Commonwealth.

plan to give the transit agency continuous, long-term funding. Parikh reached out to state representatives Ed Neilson and Chrissy Houlahan through email and received positive

You (young people) are not some far-off future. You are the right now, and I hope that in hearing that, you know you have a lot of power in this situation.

Malcolm Kenyatta Democratic state representative

Other people are a little bit upset.

ey don’t want to see fare increases. But I know most people are very glad, at least, the service cuts are going to be reversed.”

While the services have been restored, Saval believes that the uncertainty about SEPTA’s future has caused concerns among community members.

“I’ve spoken to a number of constituents over the last several days since it started to become clear. Many feel that at the one hand they are grateful that the cuts will be temporarily reversed, and I think they feel angry that there wasn’t a more permanent solution,” Saval said. “People understand pretty well that taking money from maintenance, safety and future upgrades will ultimately harm SEPTA’s ability to function in the long run, and that this just kicks the can down the road. So people are frankly upset, and I think they’re right to be.”

Advocates, legislators push for a long-term funding solution roughout SEPTA’s budget crisis, various riders and advocates have been urging state lawmakers to agree upon a

feedback stating that they were working towards nalizing a solution. Saval said that his ofce has also received more than 10,000 emails and other forms of outreach from riders. According to Bronskill, more than 30,000 people have contacted their elected o cials through letter templates provided by Transit Forward and Transit for All PA, another coalition supporting public transit.

“I don’t think we would have gotten to the urgency of that political decision if it were not for so many people speaking up,” Bronskill said. “I now think we have the opportunity, whether this gets solved in two weeks or two months or two years, to build the coalition. It’s going to make sure those cuts never happen again.”

Transit Forward has also done more than 50 canvases directly with SEPTA riders and organized rallies and events such as Transit Tuesday, during which constituents spoke with office staff and state lawmakers who did not vote for transit funding solutions. The coalition plans to continue calling attention to SEPTA’s crisis by planning monthly days of action for participants to learn advocacy skills.

Various state legislators are also taking action to advocate for the long-term SEPTA funding, including supporting lobbying efforts and rallies to pressure lawmakers to come to a decision. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta walked from Philadelphia to Harrisburg during Labor Weekend to call legislators’ attention to SEPTA funding plans. He feels that young people play an important role in advocacy for the transit agency.

“You (young people) are not some far-o future. You are the right now, and I hope that in hearing that, you know you have a lot of power in this situation,” Kenyatta said. “ ere’s a reason that people ght young people and ght your energy and your passion and your commitment, because they know that if you’re involved and if you speak with that moral clarity that too many adults are missing, that it threatens their chokehold on power.”

Despite recent challenges, Yang is hopeful that the involvement of youth and other riders can a ect future public transportation legislation.

“What really keeps me optimistic is the vision that it’s not impossible for us to completely overtake what we have right now and create a public transport system where people don’t have to pay entire fortunes to get a ticket and take the train, where people can have these high speed trains that get to places in 40 minutes rather than three hours,” Yang said. “Just envisioning that future is what excites me. I think it’s possible if we put enough pressure on the government and really hold this issue to our hearts.”

cannot bring phones when leaving class to use the restroom. College and Career Transition teacher Danielle Sculley-Ellett feels that the BYOD and phone regulations in general are helpful. “I like that everyone has the same device because I think that if we’re all on the same platform, if students have trouble, it’s easier for a teacher to help gure it out,” Sculley-Ellett said. “I’ve kind of already been doing (consistent phone practices), and I put o for years taking the phones — especially because my daughter was like, ‘Mom, you don’t want to do that.’ But, a lot of the research points to the fact that I almost see it as I’m doing kids a favor by giving them a break.”

At the district level, the school board approved a quote with Securly in June to provide web ltering, parent engagement and network monitoring related to the 1:1 Technology Initiative. e agreement, in an amount not to exceed $16,480.60, allowed the district to implement student safety and privacy features from the company over recent months into district-issued devices, such as Securly Home, Aware and Filter.

Securly Home is an interface accessible to users that allows guardians to see activity on their children’s devices and set rules when students K-5 use them outside of school. Securly Filter acts as an additional lter to inappro-

Instead of spending their weekends and free time hanging out with friends or playing video games, seniors Will Galef and David Ivory are often found meticulously scrubbing windows or moving furniture. The two began their company, Main Line Window Washing and Yard Services, in March 2024. The company offers a variety of services including window washing, brush removal, plant transplants, mulching, weeding, pressure washing and furniture moving.

Seniors operate yardwork business

“I went out to dinner with my family and told them about the idea and they thought it was so stupid, but I didn’t really listen to them,” Galef said. “I went out, bought the equipment and then the next day I went out with David. Ever since then, everyone’s believed in us because (the business) took off really quick.”

Initially, Galef and Ivory used door-to-door sales as their main method of customer acquisition, beginning in their

counts to post photos before and after the renovations.

Ivory highlights the positives of owning a business as a highschooler, believing that it has given him a lot of experience in leadership.

“Being young in a sense is a good thing. Not having the experience of someone who has done this their whole life gives us the advantage of doing everything totally voluntarily, because we aren’t forced by a company to be doing this,” Ivory said.

“There are a lot of people who like what we’re doing — that makes us want to keep doing it. Hearing someone say, ‘I love what you’re doing, I wish my son did this,’ or ‘I wish my grandkids did this,’ is a really good thing to hear.”

Both Galef and Ivory start ed competing on the Conestoga boys’ swim team in their freshman year. Katie Galef, Will Galef’s mom, believes their personalities and experience on the swim team have contributed to their successful business, emphasizing their ability to balance multiple commitments.

“They (Will Galef and Ivory) have such a work ethic, and neither one of them likes to sit around,” Katie Galef said. “Both are swim

Gyu Hakata Hot Pot :

Since there are limited places to enjoy hot pot outside of metropolitan cities, we decided to order bone and spicy pepper broth in a two soup pot. The next step was picking our meats and vegetables, which included beef, pork, bok choy, corn and mushrooms. While waiting for the cart to arrive with our order, we visited the side dish table, which offered sauces, spices and extra toppings. In a bowl, I gathered some of my favorite additions such as garlic, green onions and oyster sauce, and mixed the ultimate flavoring to dip my food in.

When the waiter returned with our dishes, we were excited to begin our meal. Starting with the beef slices and mushrooms, we held the food in the boiling broth for a few minutes before bringing it out to our plates. The beef cuts were tender and flavorful, especially when I soaked the pieces in my sauce. Out of all the meats, my favorite was definitely the pork luncheon meat. It was soft and retained a lot of the hot broth from the soup.

After finishing most of the meats and vegetables, we moved on to the starches. We added the potatoes, daikon and ramen to cook with the remaining lettuce. The noodles were springy and delicious, although we weren’t able to finish them. Since hot pot restaurants often charge extra for excess leftover food, we were careful to only order what we could eat.

To complete the meal, the waiter brought us a plate of juicy watermelon slices and breath mints to cleanse our palettes. The watermelon was sweet and refreshing, and the individually wrapped candies were a nice touch.

Unlike other hot pot restaurants that charge a flat fee, Gyu Hakata prices each individual item, leading to a total of $58.56. Considering the quality of the meal and customer service, I was pleased with the price. In addition, the quiet ambiance of the

and

ing

made for

conversation. If you’re looking for a unique dining experience with Asian flair, Gyu Hakata is a fantastic option for you.

Bringing back tradition: Homecoming Court reinstated

Ahead of the 2025-26 school

year, the senior class student council worked to reinstate a homecoming court at Conestoga, a tradition that ended around six years ago.

Homecoming Court is a group of students chosen by the student body to represent the school at the annual homecoming dance. The 2025 court consisted of nine seniors: Leo Brown, Dez Fritz, Charlotte Garcia, Shane Harley, Arni Kende, Jonathan Lee, class vice president Lexi Lenehan, Emily Todd and class president Steven Wiechecki. The senior class chose the court through peer

nominations. Student Council officially announced the winning members at the pep rally on Sept. 19, and winners received homecoming court sashes and free tickets to the homecoming dance on Sept. 20. At the dance, Brown and Todd, the two members of the court who had received the most nominations overall, were announced as Homecoming Royalty, with the responsibility of promoting school spirit.

“We brought (Homecoming Court) back because a lot of the upperclassmen weren’t going (to it), and it was more of just a freshman dance. The whole student council came together collectively, and we just decided, ‘What’s a way to finally get ev-

eryone back at the dance (and) make it more exciting again?’” Wiechecki said. “When everyone’s more involved in something like Homecoming and the whole school’s united in one thing, everyone’s spirited to be a Conestoga pioneer.”

The process of reinstating Homecoming Court began back in April. After first getting the idea approved by student council adviser Elizabeth Gallo, Student Council submitted initial proposals to principal Dr. Amy Meisinger and student activities administrator Dr. Nicole Jolly. After several rounds of meetings and follow-up proposals, school administration officially approved the court in June.

“We had to fix a lot with the name, (since) we can’t call it ‘king and queen.’ And then we weren’t really able to have (only) two people selected, so we kind of decided they would pick (10) among themselves,” Wiechecki said. “And then another thing was that we can’t have people vote for five girls and five boys, it should be anyone.”

Student Council first announced the return of Homecoming Court on Aug. 1 through the instagram account @virtualstoga. From Sept. 8-10, senior class members were able to nominate up to three students for the court.

During the voting process, students wrote about how the nominee embodied school spirit and affected them in a positive way. Following the nomination period, Student Council submitted the student names with the most votes to administration for academic and discipline review and to

ensure the students participated in at least one extracurricular or community activity. Student Council notified winners through email on Sept. 15 and gave the students the chance to accept or reject their nomination.

“I wasn’t really a part of the nomination process because I knew I wanted to be on the court,” Lenehan said. “I told a few of my friends to vote for me, but to know that other people in the class voted for me means a lot, because the people who win are the people who go to all the sports games, go to all the music events, really show out for all the spirit days. And

it just meant a lot to learn that I was one of those people.”

In addition to bringing back Homecoming Court, student council announced that Homecoming would be an “all-school dance” this year. Although the dance had been open to all grades in past years, the majority of attendees were freshmen.

This year, Student Council focused on encouraging all grades to attend Homecoming through the creation of the court and promoting spirit days.

“Before this year, (Homecoming) was seen as something for just freshmen, (but) I think people are going to want to go more now,” Harley said. “At least

from what I’ve heard, people of different grades are definitely planning to attend more (this year) than they would have in the past.”

On Saturday, Sept. 20, over 1,100 students across all grades attended the homecoming dance. According to Lenehan, following this success, Student Council made plans for a possible Prom Court and continuing Homecoming Court in future years.

“With the turnout of this homecoming court, and the fact that our grade was pretty involved, I think Prom Court would probably be something similar to Homecoming

Seniors tutor English at Taiwanese summer camp

With the intent to connect with their heritage and immerse themselves in Taiwanese culture, seniors Vanessa Chen, Joanna Harris and Dylan Lu-Sheehan spent three weeks in Taiwan in July attending the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) volunteer program. Between living with host families and teaching in different classrooms around the country, the program’s volunteers aimed to teach English to Mandarin-speaking youth.

OCAC hosts an annual volunteer program for English speakers between the ages of 17 to 25, giving participants the opportunity to teach students in many cities across Taiwan.

so I thought that it would be a really good opportunity for me to connect with my heritage, but also have an opportunity to share (that) I come from America,” Harris said. “I liked to share the English language with younger children and I love interacting with kids. It (OCAC) also gave me

ally who were selected for the month-long endeavor. To begin, participants completed a week of training at Asia University near Taichung, where they planned lessons and interacted with students.

The program placed Harris at a school in the Taichung area, while Lu-Sheehan spent two weeks teaching English at Dacun Elementary School before traveling through northern Taiwan during the final week. Lu-Sheehan enjoyed visiting parts of Taiwan that most tourists do not visit.

My favorite part of the program was building relationships and getting to know the younger generation, meeting other high schoolers, and being really immersed in Taiwanese culture.

Joanna Harris Senior

The program appealed to Harris because of her personal connection with the program’s goals.

“I applied to this program because I am half Taiwanese,

an experience to meet other high schoolers from around the world and the country.” The program consisted of about 400 young adults glob-

“My favorite memory from the trip was after having the time to already make friends during the final week where we had some time to explore, me and a couple others went off and found a small café. It was really tiny but really cool, having the opportunity to explore Taiwan and finding this small café that isn’t meant for tourists was amazing,” Lu-Sheehan wrote in a message.

ipated in a month-long program where she taught the English language to kids who speak Mandarin while living with a host family.

After a month abroad, the three seniors returned with memories that defined their experiences. Harris especially valued the friendships,

connections and learning she experienced during her time in Taiwan.

“We learned how to create lesson plans to engage the students and teach them English words through interactive activities,” Harris said.

ships and

“My favorite part of the program was building relation -

Studio art collaborates with special education classes

Having seen other decorations around the school, studio art teacher Amy Cruz brainstormed with special education teacher Kate McGranaghan to find a way to brighten their shared hallway. Cruz eventually decided to collaborate with her senior studio art classes to create an interactive art piece that both classes, studio art and special education, could participate in.

“I was like, ‘How about this year we get some art students to do outline drawings?’ Then we would provide art materials to everybody who has classrooms back there, and whenever the mood strikes or people need a brain break, they can just add color,” Cruz said. “The idea came about because the hallway was boring and sad, and then people started to add stuff to it, and it got better. I thought, ‘Let’s keep doing stuff about it.’”

Students from the special education classes will color in the drawings once they are hung in the hallway, using materials such as crayons and markers provided by the

art department. The activity is designed to be flexible and self-paced, allowing students to participate during downtime or as part of their daily classroom routines.

When studio art students arrived in class on Aug. 28, they saw a long sheet of blank white paper covering every table. Handing out black markers, Cruz told the students that they would be decorating the paper to hang in the hallway.

“I explained what was going to happen to (the paper), so they knew it was going to be displayed and hung and people were going to color it in. I just directed and told them to draw the most cheerful, happy, positive things,” Cruz said. “A lot of art students have a thing that they draw, whether it’s Batman or strawberries or just a thing that they like to draw. I told them to just draw a bunch of things — draw rainbows, unicorns, puppies, kittens and whatever else you want.” Senior and Advanced Placement Studio Art student Kate Khugaeva was present during class when Cruz initially proposed the idea to them. She re-

calls how this activity was a nice break from their usual work.

“I was really excited to see what we were doing. I first walked into the room and I just saw the white paper on the desk and I was really excited because it looked like a fun break from the course introduction,” Khugaeva said.

“I thought that it was such a cool and nice thing to do. I was really excited to see how people would color in what I had drawn.” Cruz hopes that by providing this art, students will be able to relax from a

“I

Senior attends Amnesty International USA leadership retreat

As part of the Youth Leadership in Activism (YLA) program of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), a human rights organization, senior Vibha Besagi boarded a plane headed to San Francisco in June to attend a three-day, all-expenses-paid training retreat next to the Golden Gate Bridge. There, she joined brainstorming sessions, team-building activities and strategy workshops with student activists from across the country.

Besagi is one of two high school students serving as Slack Community Managers in YLA, where she monitors national channels and develops strategies to increase student engagement in Amnesty organizations across the country. At the training workshop, Besagi implemented ideas such as “Tip Tuesday,” where student chapters receive advice on event planning and increasing participation.

“I got to meet Karla Gonzales Garcia, who is the Director of Gender, Sexuality and Identity at AIUSA, and

that was the highlight of the retreat because she’s an activist that I really look up to,” Besagi said. Besagi discovered YLA through her involvement in AmnestyxStoga. Her experience managing the club’s social media account and her longstanding passion for activism led her to apply for the program. She explains that the training retreat taught her how to better assist new members become active in the organization and speak up for what they think is right. She noted the program shifted her outlook on activism and leadership.

“It’s not just about doing what you can. It’s not just one person’s actions that can make stuff possible. You have to get other people involved and encourage them as much as possible,” Besagi said.

Besagi will continue serving as YLA’s Slack Community Manager until June 2026. She believes YLA offers youth interested in human rights activism an important chance to elevate perspectives that might otherwise go unheard. This belief, she emphasized, reflects YLA’s central mission for students.

“It (YLA) gives youth a way to express themselves, especially since for many high schoolers, since we’re under 18, we can’t exactly vote on things we want. So, this is one way to express our voice, and Amnesty helps amplify our voices and uplift

them,” Besagi said. “For both high schoolers and college students, it provides us an outlet to work towards human rights.”

Continuing this year, Besagi hopes to use what she learned from YLA at AmnestyxStoga. She values the breadth of support the training workshop provided.

“We got to learn about a lot of resources, like special initiative funds, where we can ask for funding from AIUSA that is designated for youth groups to make our future events possible,” Besagi said. “I hope to take what I learned from the YLA program retreat and help (AmnestyxStoga) in any way I can.”

Students take part in international summer program

Rajan Saha

Co-T/E Life Editor

Imagine spending three weeks alone outside the country and living with 20 international students, sharing meals with them, and living under one roof. Junior Clare O’Donnell and senior Elle

Farabaugh did just that. As participants of Children’s International Summer Villages (CISV), O’Donnell and Farabaugh spent their summers abroad in Guatemala and Vienna, Austria, respectively. CISV is a global nonprofit peace organization founded after World War II with a

mission to educate and inspire action for a more just and peaceful world. During the summer, CISV hosts national and international camps for students ages 11 to 17. O’Donnell joined the organization in 2019 after learning about it from family friends, while Farabaugh joined in 2021 after

a close friend told her about the organization. As members, they take part in monthly local chapter meetings at Brandywine throughout the year, organizing fundraisers, volunteering with local organizations and planning discussions ranging from global issues to current events.

“I had never really heard of an opportunity like this, especially for children as young as 11 to travel internationally and expose themselves to more perspectives,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell and Farabaugh both enrolled in the seminar program offered by CISV, a camp-based program for 16 to 17 year olds, where they travel to a specific location for three weeks with 24 to 30 international students. During the program, participants cannot use their phones and have to plan out each day by themselves by selecting morning, afternoon and evening activities.

“I learned a lot about myself while not having my phone,” O’Donnell said. “I learned what it feels like to truly relax, because I couldn’t remember the last time I was just in bed relaxing without my phone, and I learned I liked to journal when I have free time.”

Attendees participated in various activities throughout the program, such as discussions on global issues, school systems and cultural stereotypes, learning how to cook foods from different cultures, and singing together while playing guitars in the night. They also worked in teams, from planning and leading group activities to volunteering in local communities.

“I gained a broader sense of cultural awareness (from the activities),” Farabaugh

said. “You’re put in a situation where you’re living with kids that are the same age, and you’re all (similar), just from all different walks of life, so learning that even though people are from different places around the world, we’re all the same. There’s a lot more similarities than there are differences.”

The program’s goal is to bring people from different backgrounds together, share different perspectives, learn about other cultures and foster a sense of leadership through self-scheduling and autonomy. For Farabaugh,

Sophomores kickstart robotics competition team

bots. Participants used plastic snap together construction systems tailored for elementary and middle school students.

In May, sophomores Virat and Vivaan Krishna Ponugoti founded 10989 Blast Robotics, a community-based robotics team

“We shared that (Instagram) page (about the summer camp) to the parents as a way for them to know what’s going on,” sophomore and social media manager Madeleine Lan said. “And by having that, we have more of a place in the community for people to discover us.”

pionships, the international finals event for FRC, by winning an automatic advancement award, such as the Rookie All-Star Award at the District Championships, the preliminary competition.

“We get a Rookie All-Star Award if we have enough outreach, which is help in the community,” Xu said. “We have a lot of (it) right now since we started a summer camp, and we have done a lot of volunteer work around the area, like at the local fire station.”

“We

make VEX, the school team, and (for those) who also wanted to build bots and learn more about how our robotics team functions,” sophomore and build director Lemuel Xu said. So far, 10989 Blast Robotics has amassed more than 20 members, including high schoolers and middle

The team has secured multiple sponsorships from companies around the area such as Comcast, DoD STEM, Eadeh Enterprises, Isolite and Sol Siesta. Recently, it received a $5,000 donation from Isolite.

“We scoured the general area for businesses who might be willing to help us,” Lan said. “We (also) did some phone calls to people who we thought might be interested.”

Its next step is to prepare for Ramp Riot, a local FRC run by Wissahickon School Team 341 in October. The team ultimately hopes to qualify for FIRST Cham-

10989 Blast Robotics currently holds official offseason meetings every Tuesday, with additional Friday sessions for members who want to catch up or spend more time working on robots. The team also organizes occasional online Saturday meetings to plan future steps.

“My favorite part about working with everyone is just being part of a team as a whole,” sophomore and camp manager Michael Park said. “I just like being part of something new and being part of something that’s very impactful on the community.”

these goals are what make CISV special.

“It’s (CISV) my favorite thing that I’ve done in my life,” Farabaugh said. “I feel I’ve created deeper friendships with people that I was at a three-week camp with some of my friends that are from here, which I feel speaks to the CISV community because everybody that’s in CISV loves it – there’s not a bad thing about it. You are creating so many connections with people from so many different places that I would not even know anything about or have thought to go to.”

Written

New Teachers!

Gabriel Walsh-Shore

Inspired by his middle school math teacher Mr. Hughes, Gabriel Walsh-Shore decided to pursue a career in education. At Muhlenberg College, Walsh-Shore double majored in theater and math. He has been working at Conestoga for the past two years as a long-term substitute in the math department. Now as a full-time teacher, Walsh-Shore teaches Algebra II and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles.

Q: Why is teaching computer science today important?

A: Artificial intelligence is going to take over the introductory level computer science jobs. Of course I don't want that to happen because I think those jobs are important in order to get experience for the higher level stuff which AI can't do. So I think it's important for those who are interested in a career in computer science to still offer that. I think it's also important that computer science bridges together language and math, which I think is pretty rare. Our world revolves around phones and computers, and it's still important to understand how these things work and why they work the way they do.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time that your students might not know about?

A: What I do after school in the evenings is voice acting. I do animations, audio books and commercials. So, probably, if I wasn't a teacher, I would do that full time.

Kerri Palmer

Kerri Palmer has been teaching for 14 years. She holds degrees from Eastern University and Cabrini University, and she taught English for grades nine and 10 at Phoenixville before coming to Conestoga. Now a part of the Special Education department, Palmer teaches Reading and Academic Seminar.

Q: Why did you decide to come teach at Conestoga?

A: I saw that this was a place where, unlike other schools with these different pockets of students who really struggle compared to their peers, you don’t really see those big disparities. No matter what group students are in, there’s equity in their performance and you see that they have paths to be successful. That’s something that really drew me into this district.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: My favorite book really depends on the time of year, because I have books that I will return to based on the time of year. So, I typically will start reading “The Hobbit” sometime around Hobbit Day, and then I’ll go to “(The) Lord of the Rings” series. The springtime and summertime is when I’m looking for more fluffy things to read, which is when I have to ask my friends what they are reading because I don’t tend to read fluffy books.

Jess Taraborrelli

Jess Taraborrelli is new to Conestoga this year and is in her fourth year as a school psychologist. She went to Ryder University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey where her undergraduate major was psychology. After coaching field hockey in college, she started working as a school psychologist.

Q: Why did you choose to enter the field of psychology?

A: Since my undergrad major was psychology, I knew I really liked psychology. I think my biggest reason is just being able to help students who struggled in school a little bit. I know school is not easy for everybody, so I want to be able to see where people’s strengths and needs lie and to be able to highlight their strengths

Q: What are some interesting hobbies you have?

A: I have two little kids—I have a two-year-old and a three-month-old. Before my kids, my favorite thing to do was play sports. I played field hockey in college, and I coached field hockey as well. I really like reading on the beach, and I used to spend my summers down at the shore as well. But now, since I’ve had kids, my whole life just revolves around them. I love hanging out with them and just being outside with them.

Brian Scannell

Chris Cornine

New to Conestoga this year, Chris Cornine joined the Special Education department as a Life Skills English teacher. After obtaining his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Saint Joseph’s University, he became a teacher and has taught for the past nine years.

Q: What do you enjoy about the Special Education department here at Conestoga?

A: This is the first place I have a team that I work with. I used to just have to work by myself. My students stayed with me all day long and now they go out, which is super cool. There's a lot of new opportunities and new things here that are awesome.

Q: What do you like about working with high schoolers?

A: I think you have a lot more real conversations with them. They understand humor a little bit more. From a behavioral point of view, it's a little easier than in kindergarten where a temper tantrum could be (for a student not knowing) how to tie shoes. Here, it’s more like “Hey, this is a real world problem we need to deal with.”

Joseph Moran

Teaching all levels of German and World History, Joseph Moran joined both the World Language and Social Studies departments this year. Moran obtained an undergraduate degree in International Relations and double minored in German and Arabic at the University of Delaware.

Q: Why did you pursue learning German?

A: My mom was a teacher, so I guess you could say she was actually the reason I took German. She taught French and Spanish, and I didn't want to have her as a teacher so I took German. I went to German (class), and I had an awesome teacher and I just kept going with it because I liked it.

Q: What led you to pursue teaching?

A: I graduated in COVID, so it was not necessarily easy to find work, and I had all this time to think. It was easier to envision myself as a teacher than it was to see myself working in an embassy or for the government. I had my mom and her (teaching) background obviously influenced me as well. I think that's why I just ended up going for teaching.

Jodi Mincer

Jodi Mincer teaches in the Special Education department at Conestoga. She is currently in her 13th year of teaching, having previously taught English and History within a special education class at the Chester County Intermediate Unit and transferred to Downingtown Area School District for four years before coming to Conestoga.

Q: Why did you decide to pursue special education?

A: I chose to go into special education because I have a passion for teaching kids who are slipping through the cracks, and I think that sometimes what’s offered in the mainstream doesn’t work for everyone, but everybody should be given a chance to get what they need.

Q: What is a fun fact you’d like to share about yourself?

A: The past couple of years, I’ve been able to travel to Africa a number of times, and very unexpectedly got involved with building a program out there in Tanzania. So, I’m working with some partners, and we are creating a religious-based community organization that will help people to break the cycle of poverty in the area that they’re in and allow some more access to education

Brian Scannell started his career on the West Coast at Tacoma School of the Arts, an arts-based public school where students focused on studying the humanities. For the past five years Scannell worked at Waldorf schools, focusing on the various artistic elements of education. Now joining the English Department at Conestoga, Scannell teaches American Voices and Comparative Literature: Mayhem.

Q: As an English teacher, why do you think your students should read?

A: Reading is important because it's a creative act. When you're reading, you're imagining things, and we live in a world that is trying to destroy your imagination by giving you every image that it wants you to think about. The act of reading is, the purity of it, is a creative act. You're imagining worlds, you're creating them, you can navigate them, you're building empathy, you're building creativity, and it's also very empowering.

Q: What is one key takeaway you hope your students leave your class with?

A: There's a motto written on the temple of Delphi in Greece. The temple was dedicated to Apollo and Dionysus. Scholars believe that it was written in Greek but translated into Latin: “Temet nosce,” which means “know thyself.” It's also in “The Matrix.” I think that the idea of knowing yourself is really important.

Editor’s note: An extended version of this story is available on spoke.news.

Beginning this school year, “bring-your-own-devices” (BYOD), including laptops and tablets, are no longer permitted in ’Stoga. In January, the school board education committee cited that they discontinued BYODs because they were creating distractions, technology issues and potential sources for academic dishonesty. This year, every student is required to use district-provided Dell laptops, with the freshman class receiving Dell Pro 14s.

Jeff’s Gist: My (subtle) beef with the BYOD ban

“I don’t think ‘it (BYOD) distracts students’ is a good argument, because students who are going to be distracted with the laptops are going to get distracted in other ways,” senior Anthony Zhang said. “Even if they have a school laptop, they could use that to be distracted. And you have, ‘Oh, students can use BYOD to cheat.’ That might be an issue, but then again, there’s also a bunch of other ways students are cheating too, so I feel like clamping down on BYODs isn’t the right priority.”

Though there were good intentions in removing BYOD, it may not be the best solution, and we should consider other options — or even bringing BYOD back.

ger need to distribute as many laptops, especially given that there are a limited number of faculty members who work at Conestoga’s tech deck. The school could then allocate

useful, especially tablets for art students to create designs or illustrations for assignments.

“I understand why there’s a push against bringing in your own devices, but at least for art-

art sustained investigation. It’s (Studio Art) just harder because I can’t work on that in school, especially if I have free time.” There’s some merit in restricting BYOD. Banning per-

First, reintroducing BYOD may reduce strain on school resources and maintenance, as the school would no lon-

funds toward other projects and improvements, such as better connection to Wi-Fi.

Secondly, students have found personal devices to be

Review: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is as ‘Golden’ as everyone says

“KPop Demon Hunters,” a Sony Pictures Animation film directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, took the world by storm after its Netflix release on June 20. Although the title may put some viewers off, once they put aside initial apprehension, they will discover a film that explores identity, female friendship and societal pressure through a musical masterpiece. With a colorful and unique 3D animation style, a charming cast of characters, and jokes that land with viewers outside of the intended age range, the movie lends itself to building a captivating atmosphere from the very first minutes.

Set in South Korea, the film focuses on Huntr/x, a global hit K-pop group composed of lead vocalist Rumi, lead dancer Mira and main rapper Zoey. The girls are undercover demon hunters, whose responsibility is to protect the world from the evil demon realm threatening to take over. They use the power of their music to strengthen the magical barrier between the realms called the “Honmoon.” How-

Rating:

ever, a new K-pop boy group called the Saja Boys, who are actually demons in disguise, arrive on the scene and jeopardize the carefully maintained peace Huntr/x have upheld thus far.

One of the movie’s strongest areas is its relatability. Although the characters might fit into well-known archetypes — for instance, Mira being perpetually monotone and bored and Zoey being contrastingly bubbly — they are still multifaceted. As the film progresses, the audience discovers Mira’s sensitive nature and the underlying anxiety influencing all of Zoey’s actions. It’s easy to see parts of yourself in the cast, which makes the film even more memorable. Rumi’s overarching struggles with her part-demon part-hunter identity mirror those of people who feel like they don’t fit into society’s neat boxes.

A weak plot point in the film is when Rumi’s friends lose their trust in her after discovering her hidden demon identity and promptly turn their back on her.

After developing such a strong friendship in the first threefourths of the movie, the writers’ choice felt unrealistic.

The soundtrack is truly what boosted this film’s popularity and what makes it so enjoyable. While the majority of the lyrics are in English, the genre undeniably remains K-pop. Even people who have never listened to K-pop will find themselves humming the songs long after finishing the

movie. There’s an incredible show of vocalism in “Golden” by Ejae and a fun catchiness in “Soda Pop” featuring Andrew Choi.

The fictional Huntr/x and Saja Boys have been topping real world music charts like Bill board’s Hot 100 for weeks, and for good reason. These songs have resonated with audiences of all ages, displaying a universal popularity that hasn’t been seen since childhood hits like “Frozen” and “Moana.” It’s an opportunity for Korean music and pop cul ture to be more widely appreci ated, something that is extremely exciting about the film’s success.

It’s also important to note that the movie has an entirely non white main cast. As one of the only animated movies of its cali ber to do so, “KPop Demon Hunt ers” sets a precedent that animated movies don’t need to have white characters or be set in the Western world to have global reach.

ists, I know a couple people that bring in their own iPads to do digital art,” senior Niki Chen said. “I’m personally doing a couple of digital art pieces for my AP

sonal devices results in a more equal playing field for all students because no one will have more advanced technology, better Wi-Fi or improved ac-

CDC

cess to resources. Some BYOD laptops, such as MacBooks, also create some problems for classes like computer science that require certain applications such as Eclipse, along with concerns about the misuse of BYOD to cheat on tests or assignments from texting or outside resources. However, the ban on BYOD devices on campus may not be the most efficient way of learning for many students. The shift to complete district device usage comes with flawed mechanics surrounding the Dell laptops. They have painfully short battery life, slow performance, recurring issues connecting to the Wi-Fi, small and inconvenient screens for test taking, and warrant extremely frequent restarts. There are potential alternatives to the ban. ’Stoga could require students who need a cer-

tain program or application for a course to use a district device for those classes. Or, the school could ban certain models that tend to create more technical problems without eradicating the idea of BYOD as a whole. In terms of upholding academic standards, there could be amendments made to the Code of Conduct to mandate that students caught misusing personal devices to cheat or conduct in academic dishonesty should face personal consequences and lose their privilege of using BYOD. Finally, our district could potentially look toward upgrading to a faster, more efficient model than the Dell laptops. One of BYOD’s key advatnages is that it expanded educational opportunities for students, and we should have an option as young adults to find the most efficient resources for ourselves to succeed in academics and future professions. Instead of banning BYOD, there are ways to reintroduce it or find another substitute while still trying to make the system as fair as possible for students.

The moral of the story is don’t judge a book by its cover — or a film by its title. Animated movies are often cast aside as silly, corny or solely for children. That couldn’t be further from the truth: Animation is an art medium without age requirements. If someone thinks “KPop Demon Hunters” isn’t for them because “KPop” is in the title, they should rethink their preconceptions and be more open-minded. In doing so, they will probably discover a moving film that carries the same magic as the ones from their childhood.

Eshan Singh Co-Opinion Editor

154 million. That’s the number of lives that vaccines have saved since 1974, according to a 2024 study by the medical journal The Lancet. But the science isn’t stopping Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from trying to restrict vaccines, and his takeover of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives him the power to do so.

On Aug. 27, Kennedy, who has no medical education, fired CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez, who holds a doctorate in microbiology and immunology. According to CNN, Monarez clashed with

The CDC is in trouble

Kennedy over vaccine policy, particularly Kennedy’s false claims of a link between vaccines and autism. To replace Monarez, President Donald Trump appointed Kennedy’s deputy Jim O’Neill, a former investor who refused to criticize Kennedy’s stance on vaccines during his confirmation hearing. O’Neill is the first CDC director with no medical experience. Many fear that Kennedy plans to control the CDC through his deputy, but if he cares about Americans’ lives, he must let people who have actually studied medicine make decisions at the CDC.

The CDC is the United States’ leading public health agency, and its official recommendations have a significant influence on the decisions Americans make regarding their health. With O’Neill as the new director, the basis for those recommendations will likely be what Kennedy thinks is best, not proven scientific research. False claims that vaccines are dangerous have already harmed Americans’

health: According to Dr. Debra Houry, a former top CDC official who resigned after Monarez’s firing, misinformation about vaccines has caused measles cases to spike to 1,491 this year, as of Sept. 16. In contrast, there were only 285 measles cases in all of 2024. If Kennedy’s dangerous beliefs become official recommendations from a supposedly independent agency, then there will likely be even more cases of preventable diseases.

Kennedy’s takeover could have major consequences beyond vaccine restrictions. The CDC has long been a source of reliable health information and advice for Americans.

Making a person with no medical background the director of the agency weakens the credibility of all CDC recommendations, especially because that person will report directly to a politician seeking to implement his own ideas.

According to Dr. Catherine Lynne Troisi, a professor and researcher at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, “When politics overcomes sci -

ence, public health cannot fulfill its mission, and everyone will all suffer.”

Some may claim that new CDC leadership could be a positive development, as it may promote more diversity of thought and less complacency among established officials. However, an expert with a fresh perspective is quite different from a former investor with absolutely no medical or health care training. Additionally, while officials shouldn’t be complacent, they should feel secure enough in their jobs to focus on making scientific advancements rather than trying to please Kennedy.

During a Senate hearing on Sept. 4, Kennedy faced heated questioning over his time as HHS secretary, but he refused to change his stances on vaccines and the CDC, showing that he has no plans to stray from his current course. Those in power must continue to push back against Kennedy. If they don’t, then the situation at the CDC will continue to worsen, and Americans will face dire consequences.

Each school year, The Spoke Editorial Board presents the policy that will guide the paper’s direction. We hope to be as transparent as possible as we continue to cover the T/E community.

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STUDENTS SPEAK OUT

The fad diet craze needs to stop

Lately, it may feel like everywhere you look, there is a new fad diet, and everything that you eat has to be “protein packed” and fermented so that it is “gut healthy.” According to a 2025 study by Andres D. Parga and Hannah Coven, “approximately 69% (of college-aged women) report that social media directly influences their food choices, with more than half having eliminated foods from their diet based on content encountered online.” Many influencers have taken part in these diets on social media platforms, praising their routine to followers, and no one wants to be left behind in following influencers. Fad diets are popular, restrictive eating plans that promise a “quick fix” through temporary changes, but they frequently lack scientific evidence. According to the Boston

Medical Center, 50% of the estimated 45 million Americans who go on a diet annually use fad diets. It is crucial that all of the trending diet crazes online stop due to the amount of misinformation they spread.

Some viral diets include the paleo diet, based on what prehistoric humans ate; the carnivore diet, which focuses on only eating animal products; and the keto eating plan, which is low in carbs and high in fat. According to Christopher Gustafson, an

curity and lowers self-esteem. Adolescence is an important period — it is essential for teenagers to eat balanced diets as they need certain nutrients such as calcium and iron for healthy development.

Also, most viewers don’t understand that influencers are paid to advocate for these eating habits. Huge marketing campaigns using such influencers can mislead people into thinking that they can lose weight through a fad diet.

associate professor at the University of Nebraska, there is no evidence that fad diets are better than scientifically tested healthy eating. Healthy eating is not the same as a fad diet; it emphasizes moderate portions and nutrients, whereas fad diets severely restrict food groups and are unrealistic.

Most of the followers of these trendy eating plans are teenagers who are much more vulnerable because of hormonal shifts that can impact their decisions. This causes health issues and also increases inse-

“The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits,” said Marlene Schwartz, director of the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. “They’re getting these dietitians to essentially do their marketing for them.” It is true that through the impact of social media and the right nutritionist, it is easier to guide people to healthy diets, but the huge misrepresentation of diets online can lead to long-term health issues and promote unrealistic body standards. It is important to be cautious before following a different eating plan and stay informed through trusted healthcare professionals. You are better off eating a well-rounded meal and having a healthy lifestyle than going on a fad diet.

“I feel like (BYOD) shouldn’t have been banned. It’s harder for my (laptop), now that I have to get one from the school, to use internet from home.”

The performative male: When feminism becomes a shallow trend

If you’ve scrolled on social media recently, you’ve seen him. This time, he’s not flexing muscles at the gym or going on and on about stocks. This time, he’s holding a matcha latte in one hand, a Simone de Beauvoir book in the other, listening to Clairo through wired earbuds and sporting a brand new Labubu keychain clipped to a graphic tote bag. He seems sensitive, cultured and even feminist — but is he really? Welcome to the era of the performative male. According to the website Know Your Meme, a “performative male” is a man whose behaviors and personality appear “inauthentic and seem to

revolve around ‘performing’ for other people’s worldviews, tastes and interests,” often directed toward the female gaze or an online audience.

The idea of performative males isn’t new. Every decade seems to have its own version, from the brooding “emo” boys of the early 2000s to the indie “soft bois” of the 2010s. What’s changed today is the platform: Social media has simply spread this performative behavior farther and faster than ever before. Every action is now filtered through the mindset of curating a specific image for public consumption.

Where it gets especially problematic is when performative males curate their values, too. Reposting feminist slogans, adopting queer-coded traits or taking on traditionally “feminine” traits, like caregiving or empathy, can appear progressive on the surface. But when these gestures are solely done for attention, they lose all meaning.

Performative male contests, featuring male and female students, emerged as a trend across

U.S. college campuses throughout September. The goal, according to The Hill, is to “imitate” performative males, with “millions of viewers mocking men” who fake their political beliefs or pretend to read books in order to attract women, with prizes ranging from gift cards to books. Cornell University’s newspaper, The Cornell Sun, reported on one participant who wore a piece of paper reading “I hate period cramps (6’ 2” btw)” taped onto his shirt. Participants at other schools, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the College of William & Mary and the University of Connecticut, even threw menstrual products at the crowd.

Beneath this humor, these contests expose another troubling pattern. Performative males collapse women’s diverse experiences into a monolithic audience to impress. They use ideas of gender inequality or marginalization as tools for attention and social visibility. It’s true that some argue that this trend might have a silver lining. By adopting interests or

values associated with “feminine” traits, men could be helping feminist ideas or emotional expression be more acceptable in male-dominated spaces. Even when the intentions aren’t entirely authentic, these acts can jumpstart conversations about gender. But even so, the fact they’re mostly for show undermines any real impact. Using these ideas as props make them feel hollow, and in the end, performative male acts draw eyes without creating any true understanding. So how can you tell if a man is performative? Look for consistency and depth. Are his actions motivated by genuine care or by trendiness? Does he engage in “performative” acts when no one is watching? Does he live by the values he preaches? But truthfully, the most important question isn’t about him at all: It’s why we reward performance in the first place. Sure, the memes and the videos are funny, but they just show that we’ve been conditioned to applaud appearances over authenticity. Don’t let facades set the standard for progress.

On Aug. 29, seniors Kaitlyn Parson, Melody Weng and Allie Frederick traveled by coach bus to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the 145th US Open in New York. Through the Julian Krinsky School of Tennis, which is based at the Gulph Mills Tennis Club, they practiced on official tournament courts and watched various professional matches.

“It was just surreal, honestly. It was a little nerve-wracking because there were people watching you run around and play tennis,” Parson said. “But when you’re standing there and you’re looking out into the crowd and there’s a cameraman coming around, it was like, ‘Wow. We’re really here,’ and that’s really cool.”

In addition to their time practicing on the court, the group spectated both singles and doubles matches, including men’s sixth-ranked Ben Shelton’s match against French player Adrian Mannarino. For Weng, the doubles tournaments stood out the most.

“I have the most fun watching doubles because that’s where you actually see a ton of the strategy because they have to communicate,

On-court view: Seniors visit US Open

and there’s a lot a lot more to do when you have an actual partner with you,” Weng said.

“I definitely enjoy watching doubles more, and it’s kind of easier to pick up on the strategies and how to learn from how they play.” Parson believes her own experience as a tennis player gave her a different perspective in the stands compared to casual fans. She notes her background in tennis allowed her to pick up on technical choices and the resilience needed in professional matches.

“If you’re not a tennis player, you don’t know the kind of mentality,” Parson said. “If you’re down extreme the first set and (you’re losing), it’s so easy to get back up and come back and win. I think you just appreciate the points more because you can analyze their shots.”

Parson and Weng, who are doubles partners for Conestoga, emphasized that watching professional matches in the US Open was a learning experience that they hope to carry into their own games. The pair walked away with specific takeaways they hope to apply to their technique and training.

“It was really cool to go in there and watch women’s doubles play. We learned that in doubles, coaching is real -

ly important,” Parson said.

“I need my serve to be a little more powerful, and Mel (Weng) needs hers to be a little more consistent. So, I

think we both learned a little there too.”

For both, the trip reinforced the importance of tennis in their lives. Parson ap -

preciates how the experience opened her eyes to professional tournaments and ways she can apply the same focus into her own matches.

“It’s really cool to get to have that kind of opportunity to go to something like that,” Parson said. “Tennis is definitely a lifelong sport, and it’s super fun

and it’s a huge part of our lives, so it’s super fun to go and watch them play, and you can get tips on how to better your game from watching the pros.”

Sideline

From Aug. 18 to 20, Conestoga cheerleaders began their mornings with intense training from Universal Cheerleaders Association’s (UCA) staff to prepare for their upcoming season. According to its website, UCA is the largest cheerleading camp company in the world.

During the three days, the team worked hard to master new cheers to succeed during their season. The team worked with two UCA-selected trainers from Providence College. Each day, the cheerleaders would practice with the trainers for four hours from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Valley Forge Middle School’s gym. During their time with the UCA’s trainers, the cheer team familiarized itself with new skills and practiced old ones. The cheerleaders learned and practiced the sideline cheers for football games. They learned stunts, ways to dismount out of stunts and how to incorporate stunts into sideline cheers.

“We learned stunting cheers where we have people up in the air during the cheer, and then we also have normal cheers,” senior and co-captain Eve Bolton said. “We do different motions. Some of the cheers are with poms, and it’s fun.”

This year, the team trained under college instructors. In previous years, the cheerleaders worked with trainers who taught professional cheerleading, which has more dancing than college cheerleading. The team learned new cheers with different words and motions for this year’s season.

“I enjoyed trying new stunts the most as it was a little bit intimidating, but also very fun at the same time,” sophomore Krishi Desai said.

According to senior and co-captain Kelly Campbell, the UCA camp was valuable to the Conestoga cheer team in particular because its cheer routines are composed of more technical cheer skills instead of dances and artistic elements like other high schools. The camp helped the cheerleaders refine their technique for the season.

“I feel like you look at other schools and they do a lot more dances, whereas we do a lot of stunting, tumbling and regular cheers,” Campbell said.

In addition to helping the cheerleaders with their technique, the UCA trainers also provided the cheer team with new ideas for their cheers.

“I feel like (the training is) really helpful, because they’re always giving new ideas that we wouldn’t usually have,” Bolton said. Up

ment, the sport has developed into a passion for Russo.

“It’s (bowling) something that is really important to me, so I try to make the time to keep doing it,” Russo said.

Currently, Russo bowls in local leagues Celebrity A and Transfiguration twice a week. Within each league, he competes with the three to five people on his team. Russo believes a bowling league is the perfect place for challenge and improvement.

“A bowling league covers a lot of good social aspects. There’s competition, which gives you motivation to improve your game. You’re practicing your game by yourself, but you’re also watch-

ing other people bowl, they’re watching you and they can give you tips, because maybe they see something you don’t notice,” Russo said. “It’s a good community as well as an athletic opportunity.”

In a bowling match, each player on a team has 10 frames, aiming to knock down as many pins as possible. There are two chances for each frame. As a match finishes up, the person in the last spot on each team typically faces the most pressure, especially if it is a close match. Russo has attended his leagues’ championships more than once, with one of his most memorable bowling experiences being a very close win.

“I was in a championship match against a really strong team. The person who was on the other team in the last spot was a very good bowler. I was bowling in the last spot of my team,” Russo said. “It really came down to the final frame. I struck and he didn’t, and we won the championship.”

Russo reflects that though an athlete’s mindset is important in every sport, bowling in particular requires acute mental discipline because it is more of an individual sport by nature.

“Bowling has taught me the importance of mental strength,” Russo said. “In bowling, even when you’re on a team, it’s you standing up there by yourself, so having a strong mental game is important.”

Russo encourages everyone to try bowling and highlights its inclusive nature. He believes that bowling is both a fulfilling and entertaining hobby.

“One of the things I love about bowling is that pretty much anybody can do it,” Russo said. “For a long time, it’s been the number one participatory sport in the country. It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad or if you’ve never done it before or if you do it all the time. You can go with anybody and it’s fun.”

Written by Jeffrey Heng, William Simon and August Zangrilli, Co-Managing Editor and Staff Reporters

Alex

S tepping up: Meet new coaches!

Stepping up: Meet new coaches!

and boys’ volleyball coach

Alex Weaver started his volleyball career as a freshman in high school and continued playing at Penn State during his undergraduate studies and his master s program Weaver started coaching as his children began to play sports Weaver s favorite memories of volleyball include his college career and Conestoga’s win against Strath Haven on Sept. 10

Q: Why do you coach?

A: When I first moved out here I'm originally from Pittsburgh after (Penn State), I looked to see what areas had men's volleyball and not very many of them did at that time. When I worked in my corporate job for a while, (the) part of my job I really enjoyed was helping coach people through their career and so now this is just another means to scratch that itch

Q: What do you hope to bring to the team?

A: I've been telling the girls since tryouts: The two things you have control over are your effort and your attitude Any team that I coach I want those to be high effort and great attitude Things aren't always going to go our way, but you can always control those two things. I think the teams that control those the best and combine that with natural talent are the ones that win

for 25 years, speding the last six years as an assis-

Q: Why do you coach?

A: Coaching in general is a passion of mine I enjoy helping (players) I was very fortunate to have some good people as a kid myself growing up to influence me into coaching and (I want) to give back and help younger kids As far as coaching at Conestoga Conestoga is a great high school

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: I hope to just bring a level of energy and passion that either wasn't there or (bring it) to a new height, as well as trying to help the girls who have been part of the program and (continue) the success of the last few years and help them achieve as much as they can in their final year

and has

for one year prior to Conestoga.

Q: Why do you coach?

currently serves as a guidance counselor

A: I decided to be a coach because I really appreciate the sport, and to share the passion of running with the students here makes me really excited It's a very short time in your life where you get to compete and train and do your best, and I love knowing that I can be a part of people's very short high school careers

Q: What do you hope to bring to the team?

A: That sense (that) you can achieve, no matter what. It's just a matter of how hard you work. I think that's one thing that was always evident in my running career, and I would hope to help bring that out of other athletes

Q: Why do you coach?

A: I want to make sure everyone feels welcome to come out and enjoy ice hockey I want the girls to be excited to come to practices and games because they truly want to be there.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: I am going to start to get alumni as involved as much as I can, as I would love to see young women who have gone through this program (and) that know what it means to play girls ice hockey at Conestoga, start to get involved (in) the direction of this program and eventually take the reins to continue to grow and progress Conestoga girls ice hockey into the future.

Rowing into new waters

Sosi Sengal Co-Sports Editor

Walking along trails and watching the boats glide past Boathouse Row, I have always wondered what it would be like to row on the Schuylkill. On Sept. 14, I went from watching to participating. Early that morning, I climbed into a boat at Drexel University’s boathouse with members of the Conestoga Crew Club to see what rowing is really like.

Seniors and captains Hudson Dunkle, Toscane Franchet and Jack Sauder, who have each been rowing for four years, walked me through the basics. They explained that high school rowers often practice six days a week, including dry-land conditioning.

Dunkle and I started by transporting a double scull — a boat that holds two — from the storage rack onto the dock. It took two people to move it, one on either side, and I learned how to position my arms so that the boat stayed level. I grabbed the oars, slid them into the oarlocks and tightened them to the boat so they would not move while I rowed.

Getting into the boat was a process that was entirely new to me. After taking off my shoes, I carefully stepped and lowered myself onto the sliding seat on the center bench. In order to keep the boat from flipping, we kept one hand on the dock and the other on the oars. Dunkle gave a push off the dock, and we drifted out into the Schuylkill.

Once we were on the river, Dunkle explained how to flip the oars from feathered, facing up, to squared, perpendicular to the water. After a few tries, I could feel the balance.

Dunkle broke down the parts of a stroke: catch, drive with the legs, swing the back, finish with the arms, then release and recover quickly. I practiced the motion slowly while he kept the boat steady, focusing on each specific part.

Once I understood the proper form, I began to do a few strokes on my own. The boat inched forward, around four or five miles per hour, slower compared to the pace that seasoned rowers may achieve, but fast enough that I felt the resistance of the water. After that, Dunkle set the pace, and I managed to keep up with continu-

ous strokes, and the boat glided straight and steady. Matching his movements was harder than it looked, but we soon fell into a rhythm and our boat traveled smoothly across the current. After our stint in the water, we turned around and headed back for the dock. We removed the oars, lifted the boat from the water, carried it up the dock and returned it to its rack in the boathouse. I enjoyed every part of the morning and felt like I picked up a lot in just one session. Rowing next to Dunkle made it easier to stay on pace and understand how the timing works. Watching crew from Kelly Drive is fun, but actually getting on the river, working with a teammate and making the boat move is much more exciting.

Math teacher strikes as avid bowler Page 10

SPORTS

On-court view:

Seniors visit U.S. Open Page 10

Stepping up: Meet new coaches Page 11

Tryoneer Pioneer: Rowing into new waters Page 11

Alumnus retires from professional basketball

After a 12-year professional career, Jake Cohen, a 2009 alumnus, announced his retirement from international professional basketball in March. The decision came shortly after Cohen played his 500th game with Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club. During his time at Conestoga, Cohen played baseball, basketball and football, but after spending a summer with an Amateur Athletic Union team, he decided to focus on basketball. After freshman year, Cohen played on the boys’ varsity basketball team, winning a Central League title and finishing third in districts.

His favorite memory was an out-of-state tournament.

“We went out to a holiday tournament in San Diego and we won the championship out there. I think it was only a three or four day tournament,” Cohen said, “We played two or three games, but we won on a buzzer beater. That was a really good memory.”

After high school, he played Division I basketball at Davidson College in North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. Cohen won Southern Conference Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013 as well as Freshman of the Year in 2010. The team won the Southern Conference championships during Cohen’s junior and senior years, qualifying for the NCAA March Madness tournament. Cohen describes it as

one of his favorite experiences in his career.

“One of the coolest things I’ve done as a basketball player is play in March Madness,” Cohen said. “It definitely lived up to my aspirations from when I was a little kid. It was really special. And in that moment, it was the most special thing I’d ever done. To be able to have two good games in March Madness was really cool, too. It taught me a lot about myself, that I could be in the biggest spotlight I’d ever been before and not shy away from it and be able to perform.”

After Davidson, Cohen signed with Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2013. Although he played with other teams throughout his career in Israel, Greece and Spain, he ultimately re -

turned and spent nine of his 12 professional years with the club, competing both nationally in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and abroad in the EuroLeague. Cohen attributes his successful career to hard work and his enjoyment for the sport.

“I worked my butt off to get as good as I possibly could. I made a lot of sacrifices for it. At the same time, I also realized that it’s supposed to be fun and I need to enjoy it,” Cohen said. “I realized that I can enjoy those sacrifices because I want to be as good as I can, the other stuff fell into place.”

Cohen is now married with two kids and lives in Malvern. Since retiring, Cohen has missed being around his

teammates and the daily competition of the game. He hopes to celebrate Thanksgiving at home, something he hasn’t done in 17 years.

Cohen plans to see Conestoga’s boys’ basketball team in action at games this winter. Cohen advises aspiring athletes to focus on the present and work hard.

“Stay focused on those short-term goals and the longterm stuff will take care of itself because ultimately, as an athlete, you need to succeed if you want to advance your career. And the best way to succeed is to work your butt off,” Cohen said. “Don’t look so much at what’s five or 10 or 15 years down the line because that’s not helpful that I’ve found.”

Sports opinion: Legalizing checking will level the ice for women

When watching women’s hockey, from local high school rinks to the Olympics, viewers may notice a key difference from the men’s game: the lack of body checking. Body checking is intentional contact to separate an opponent from the puck as defined by USA Hockey, and it is banned for all girls, women, and 12U and under leagues.

According to a 2014 NCAA study, collegiate women’s ice hockey has the highest rate of self-reported concussions out of any sport, regardless of gender. Some of this can be explained by factors like neck strength or hormone levels, but another reason may be that female hockey players are not trained to expect or absorb contact the way that their male counterparts are. This often leads to dangerous habits, such as skating with their heads down.

Since the distinction between incidental contact and illegal checking can be blurry in a fastpaced play, the referees cannot consistently enforce rules, leading to the opening minutes of many

games becoming a test of how strictly referees will call physical play. Legalizing checking can remove that uncertainty and allow players to focus on strategy and skill, rather than guessing the mood of the referee.

“As long as (physical play) is taught correctly as it’s being done these days, even in boys hockey, if you’re not out to physically injure somebody, (and) it’s truly to get the puck away from another player, (then) physical play, in my opinion, is not a bad thing,” Conestoga girls ice hockey head coach Christopher Hellmann said. “I would be in favor of it again as long as they take every precaution to teach it the right way.” The North American-based Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has allowed checking since its inception in 2024. In an AP article, Minnesota Frost coach Ken Klee, a former NHL player, said it was important for players to take “ownership of protecting themselves. It’s not just the ref’s job to protect them.”

Other full contact sports, such as rugby and football, maintain the same rules for women and men. While early hockey games in the

1940s allowed rough play, checking was nearly fully banned worldwide soon after, with officials citing that women were “too delicate.”

The lingering need to “protect” women from the nature of hockey has sexist undertones and hinders the legitimacy of women’s hockey as “real hockey.”

As a player, I can appreciate the skilled stick handling, frequent passes and tactical play that often define women’s games. Allowing checking won’t erase those strengths, nor will it encourage violence and fighting as seen in the NHL. Even in the PWHL, severe penalties are in place for illegal body checks, such as open-ice hits or checking a player who has their back turned.

While injury rates may increase slightly at first during the adjustment period, female athletes will eventually learn to hit safely and purposefully and can use it as a tool to create more space offensively and play with greater awareness. Revising the rulebook for women’s ice hockey to allow body checking will level the ice by encouraging better playing habits and dismantling the sexist belief that women cannot handle physicality.

SCORELINE