Students launch pop culture podcast ‘The Mic Drop’
Page 7 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 76 No. 5
March 10, 2026
Jeff’s Gist: why ice threatens Our moral ‘cost of living’
Girls, boys basketball win Central League for first time since 2008
PagE 8
Page 10
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Photo illustration by Tvisha Jani/The SPOKE
By Tvisha Jani, Grace Hu and Paige Vachris, Co-Copy Editor and Staff Reporters In preparation for the 202526 Delaware Valley Regional High School Ethics Bowl, junior Bayla Kaskey reads a case discussing a stressed teenager who was looking for mental health
support. Rather than seeing a traditional therapist, the teenager used an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app that offers cognitive-behavioral techniques and mindful exercises 24/7. Kaskey was one of five students from Conestoga who presented a stance on the case at the annual competition. Over recent years, various community members have seen a rise in technology usage and felt the impact on
their daily lives. For Kaskey, the increasing presence of AI specifically for teenagers and the advancement of conversational AI chatbots has concerning effects for the community. “Because of the expansive potential of AI that we haven’t fully explored, there are going to continue to be new, different problems that we haven’t thought about,” Kaskey said. “You hear a lot about people
turning to AI over talking to actual people. Because the thing about AI is if you dislike something that you said to it or it reacts negatively to you at all, you can completely erase your conversation and start over again.” The addition of AI in the digital landscape has also expanded previously-existing risks in social media for senior Zaina Sohail. She noticed an increased number of AI-al-
tered images on her Instagram feed and feels that the addition of fabricated media makes it more challenging to recognize accurate digital content. “You’ll see that a lot of people and celebrities, they’ll ask AI to change these people to look a certain way or to be something, and it’s such a huge thing to be aware of because sometimes they don’t even have a caption,” Sohail said.
According to a 2026 Pew Research Center study, 90% of U.S. teens use YouTube — the most popular social media platform — with seven in 10 visiting it daily. Mental health specialist Dr. Christine Dunleavy believes that the extensive influence of social media has been negative on students. “I think the impact (of social media) at Conestoga is no different than the impact we’re seeing nationally. We’re just a micro-
cosm of our society,” Dunleavy said. “Individuals who are overly dependent on (social media) are absolutely in a position where they’re decreasing their skills. My biggest concern is if you were overreliant on it, I don’t think you can replace it. If you’re overrelying on it, then you are not developing the skills you need in order to have healthy relationships.” Continued on page 3.
DHS leases ICE administrative usage office Sophia Cui
Co-Design Editor
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Post-test reflections: Senior Josh Jacob looks at his AP Literature and Composition Schoology page. On Feb. 4, administration sent an email to district parents, informing them of the investigation regarding the course’s cumulative midterm test.
School administration looks into compromised exam Sophia Seyedian Staff Reporter
On Feb. 4, district parents and guardians received an email from school administration and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition teachers notifying them of an investigation into the academic integrity of the AP Literature cumulative midterm and the consequential cancellation of student grades. Teachers plan to administer an alternative assessment before spring break, although they have not finalized an exact date. Scores for the exam will now factor into students’ second semester grades. “As you may have heard, we received information about potential cheating across multiple sections of
the AP Literature classes. As a result, our administrative team conducted an extensive investigation into concerns regarding the integrity of the assessment. Our investigation has now concluded,” school administration and AP Literature teachers wrote in the email. “The findings confirmed that the integrity of the exam was compromised, and as a result, the midterm cannot be considered a valid measure of student learning.” Senior Avi Gairola feels that teachers took the most appropriate measure by invalidating all students’ scoresx. “I think (the cancellation of all scores) is a fair action to take because there’s no way to discern who is using the leaks (of the previous
AP Literature exam) to their benefit versus who is taking (the exam) regularly,” Gairola said. “Unless there’s a way for the administrations to tell exactly everybody who’s cheating, there’s no way to give a fair and objective punishment that doesn’t impact other people.” Senior Josh Jacob has conflicting emotions about the rescheduling and feels that the consequences have an impact on those that do maintain academic honesty. “I feel like it’s not fair, but (the cancellation of all scores) is probably the closest thing (the administration and teachers) could get,” Jacob said. “It was probably the best decision they could make out of what they had available.”
On Feb. 10, WIRED magazine released undisclosed federal records of dozens of buildings leased across the country for use by ICE attorneys and street-level agents. Among the list of properties leased was an office at 1000 Westlakes Drive in Berwyn. According to a spokesperson for the property, the office will be used for ICE administrative purposes by back-office officials such as lawyers and analysts, and not for ICE agent operations. The building is located 1.1 miles from Hillside Elementary School and across the road from Bear Hill Elementary School, which TESD administration anticipates will open for the 2027-28 school year based on the current project schedule. In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) issued $30 billion to ICE specifically for immigration enforcement and removal efforts, including the hiring of ICE agents, until Fiscal Year 2029. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trump Administration provided this funding in part to support its goal of hiring 10,000 new U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers and agents by the end of 2025. The DHS, which comprises ICE and other agencies, surpassed its goal and gained 12,000 officers last year, more than doubling its workforce. According to WHYY, Westlakes Office Park is a 40-acre property that consists of four office buildings and various amenities. Patch reports that the new
Berwyn ICE office building will occupy approximately 10,000 square feet of one of the buildings. Currently, there is no information available on when officials will be moving in and how long they will be staying. Dr. Chris Groppe, Director of Safety and Student Services, explains that the information TESD knows is limited. “We (TESD) are aware that a lease has been obtained by the Department of Homeland Security for office space in Berwyn,” Groppe wrote in an email. “We have had no contact with that agency, so what we know about the function of that office space is limited to news reports.” According to WIRED, the surge in ICE employees requires the DHS to find more office space to operate from. To meet this demand, the DHS collaborated with the Public Buildings Service (PBS), a department under the General Services Administration (GSA) that manages
the lease of federal properties, to support ICE expansion. According to WIRED, the urgency of the situation led the DHS to instruct the GSA to disregard usual government lease policies and instead conceal lease information to prevent security concerns. As a result, the PBS has leased and expanded ICE offices at more than 150 locations in almost every U.S. state and major city. Similar to the building in Berwyn, WIRED reports that many of these new properties are located near sensitive locations such as elementary schools and medical offices. According to the American Immigration Council, the Trump administration is making many changes that are reshaping immigration policy and enforcement. These changes give officials expanded and new powers to enforce immigration laws. Combined with a $170 billion budget under the OBBBA for operations, the American Immigration Council
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Future facility: A sign for 1000 Westlakes Drive sits on one side of Swedesford Road. On Feb. 10, WIRED magazine announced the lease of the new office.
reports a nationwide increase in immigrant raids, detentions and deportations. Dr. Groppe believes TESD has policies in place to address possible safety concerns of community members. “TESD has longstanding protocols in place in the event any officers visit our schools,” Groppe wrote. “We prioritize the safety of our students and staff while following the requirements of the law.” In addition, the Chester County District Attorney and Chester County Police Chiefs Association published a joint statement in early February to address recent ICE changes and concerns from Chester County members. The statement stressed that Chester County law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders and in the case of a force event, local enforcement will immediately respond by negating safety threats and independently reviewing the situation. Lastly, the statement communicated that Chester County law enforcement is dedicated to protecting the public regardless of their immigration status. Michael Carroll is the President of the Chester County Police Chiefs Association and signed the joint statement. “This (statement) was given to all of the chiefs (of police) before we signed it and put it out, so everyone was given the opportunity to object to anything in there, and there were no objections,” Carroll said. “I think we have a pretty good perspective here in Chester County and that the more people know about (the ICE situation), the better.”