Biology teacher, senior search Conestoga for new species of yeast
Page 7 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 75 No. 5
March 21, 2025
Aviation reaches sky-high sensationalism
Boys basketball wins district championship
PagE 8
Page 12
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Setting sustainable standards: Senior Shriya Prakash places a collection box on a table for Conestoga staff and students to recycle pens and other writing utensils. As co-president of environmental club Greening ’Stoga Task Force, she helped audit elementary schools.
By Lily Chen, Vanessa Chen and Ashley Du, Co-News Editor and Staff Reporters During spring 2020, then-sophomore Aishi Debroy founded Sunrise Berwyn, a local chapter of an organization called Sunrise Movement dedicated to involving young people in fighting global climate change. Her goal was simple: to raise awareness about the climate crisis and advocate for sustainability in the local community.
“The inciting incident (for creating Sunrise Berwyn) was when I went to India one time in middle school and I watched this massive flood,” Debroy said. “It really reminded me of the very tangible effects of climate change. So, when I came back to the U.S., I had this very big desire to do something in my own community.” Later, Debroy joined classmates Lilly Shui and Clara Steege as they helped write the Renewable Energy Resolution and advocated for its approval. On Nov. 22, 2021, the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District school board passed the
resolution, making a commitment to provide “a sustainable, healthy future for its students and staff by making tangible changes to mitigate climate change.” The document outlines plans to transition the district’s electricity use to 100% renewable energy by 2025; implement renewable energy sources for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), cooking and transportation efforts by 2040; consider ways to incorporate more sustainability-focused topics into the district’s curricula; and prioritize renewable energy and sustain-
ability in future construction projects and renovations. “Schools are just like any other member of the community. We have a responsibility to make sure we’re using our resources efficiently, and we’re beholden to taxpayers in that regard,” school board president Todd Kantorczyk said. “That includes things like electricity and whatnot, and that we’re using it in a sustainable way so future generations can enjoy the same sort of resources that we’re enjoying now.” During the Nov. 19, 2024 school board facilities committee meeting, school board business manager Arthur McDonnell re-
ported that TESD had only reached 10% renewable energy sources for electricity at that time. The Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004 mandates that electric distribution companies and electric generation suppliers — such as PECO — reach at least 8% electric energy from tier 1 renewable energy sources by 15 years after the legislation’s effective date. According to the meeting notes, the facilities committee “decided to transition to 100% renewable sources for electricity beginning the 25/26 fiscal year” in July 2025. At the meeting, McDonnell said that the switch would increase
electricity costs by $42,000 for the first year and $94,000 by the end of two years. Members also discussed the option of transitioning from 10% renewable energy to 100% for the remainder of the 202425 fiscal year for $22,000, according to McDonnell. Facilities committee chair Dr. Robert Singh said that members felt that switching partway through the fiscal year would not make “economic sense” because the district would renegotiate and pay for another contract in June for the 2025-26 fiscal year. He said that the committee will discuss the
matter in upcoming meetings until it finalizes the contract with the district’s electricity supplier. “We just need some more time to see what that cost will be and the energy supplier hasn’t provided that yet — especially with the new (federal) administration coming in and what energy sources are going to be on the forefront,” Singh said. “So, there’s still a lot of things that we don’t know between now and June, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to do it for the 25-26 school year. We’ll get it done.” Continued on page 3.
Chester County installs AI interactive kiosks to assist visitors Nolan Talley Staff Reporter
In January, the Chester County Court Administration installed artificial intelligence-powered interactive information kiosks in several locations throughout the county. The touchscreen and voice-activated kiosks assist
users with accessing court forms, locating court offices and paying fines or bail with a credit card. The kiosks can also access the county’s Human Needs Network, other court departments and community partner organizations. Chester County is the first in the state to implement interactive AI kiosks, with the
American Rescue Plan fully funding the kiosks. Chester County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft feels that AI can better facilitate the public’s access to courts and their services. “We are installing AI-driven kiosks in several locations to make information and
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Integrating AI: The Chester County Justice Center stands in West Chester. In January, the Chester County Court Administration installed AI-integrated kiosks in the county courthouse to to help visitors access court services.
resources more accessible,” Wheatcraft said in a news release on Feb. 6. “Chester County courts are committed to investing in the improvement of services to Chester County citizens.” The court administration installed the kiosks with an aim to ease the language barrier for Spanish-speaking visitors to the courthouse. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13.3% of Chester County residents speak a language at home other than English. Chester County Court Services Administrator Suzie Marker helped create the kiosks and believes they can serve Chester County’s diverse demographic. “We have a huge Spanish-speaking population in Chester County, and we don’t, unfortunately, always have people on staff here that speak Spanish to help them. So, we looked at different technology,” Marker said. “A couple people (who work for the county) saw this kiosk that had been developed in New Mexico for an area that had a lot of dialects.” Marker also believes the kiosks will help visitors navigate the large courthouse. “A lot of times people come here, and they don’t know where they’re supposed to be,” Marker said. “It’s not always your best day when you’re coming to court. Usually, it’s not for a good reason. People are upset or maybe anxious.
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AI innovation: Anita, the AI assistant integrated into the new kiosks in Chester County, waits to assist visitors. The county installed the kiosks to help users navigate the large courthouse and access court forms. This was a way for them to get a visual idea of where exactly they need to be.” The county commissioned the company Advanced Robot Solutions to construct the kiosks. The court administration worked with the company for one year to develop a list of the most frequently asked questions and uploaded this information to the AI, named Anita, to build its knowledge of the county and the courthouse. In addition to this ini-
tial information, Anita will use its interactions with court visitors to teach itself how to better respond to patrons. The kiosks are available in the county justice center, court administration office, as well as family and magisterial courts. The county also plans to install them in the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries. The plans for the library kiosks are in the initial stages, and the kiosks are expected to be installed by mid-to-late 2025.
Marker hopes that expanding the kiosks to places like libraries can lower barriers for people who may not have easy access to court services. “We’re thinking, if we can get them in some of these libraries, we can access a sector of the public that doesn’t have access to justice,” Marker said. “You can also pay fines on them or post bail for someone. Having them in further away places could help in those ways.”