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Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 76 No. 6
April 27, 2026
Paper for Paws: Sophomores create animal support nonprofit
From the Editors: Until next time
Boys tennis hosts first home match in over 2 decades
Page 5
PagE 9
Page 10
www.spoke.news
Inside student-athlete recruitment Students celebrate acceptances, face commitment process changes
Courtesy Conestoga Girls Laccrose (right), Photo illustration by Tvisha Jani/The SPOKE
By Jeffrey Heng, Emily Wang, Fryashti Mishra and Nishta Subramanian, Co-Managing Editor, Co-Design Editor and Staff Reporters For years, senior Maggie Neary has played lacrosse competitively. Training with the
Conestoga girls’ lacrosse team and a club team called NXT Lacrosse, she spent hours balancing schoolwork and athletics. On top of all her activities in high school, she started sending emails in hopes of having a university recruit her as a student-athlete. She received her acceptance and recruitment offer earlier in December 2025 after applying early action to MIT. In March, Neary formally committed to the university, an NCAA Division III school. “I had always been very (drawn) to (MIT’s) academ-
ics,” Neary said. “I wanted to play a sport in college, and the Division III level I thought would fit me best because I would best be able to balance my life, my academics and my sports. I very well could have been passing up on opportunities from other coaches for MIT and then not having gotten to MIT. I had to put a lot of trust in myself that I knew what I wanted, and I’m super grateful that I was accepted.” Like Neary, student-athletes across the country continue to train in their sports while pursuing the college recruitment
process every year. During recruitment, universities seek out specific student-athletes to play for their sports teams and accept them as official undergraduate applicants. Having to face the challenges of academic work, personal life and competitive sports, student-athletes within Conestoga have had to adapt to changes in the recruiting process over the past decade and deal with its effects on their mental well-being. Neary personally felt pressure during the recruitment process when seeing other fellow athletes commit.
“It (recruitment) is not as glorified as it is on Instagram,” Neary said. “It seems demoralizing when you’re comparing your perspective to kids that commit, but it is so rarely as awesome as it sounds. I was one of the only girls on my team to not be committed, and I almost wanted to settle for a school just to say I could commit. I really had to focus on not comparing myself to others, because if you stick with what you want or what you know that you love, it will end up working out one way or another.”
Similar to Neary, during the fall of her junior year, senior Anthea Lin reached out to coaches for months before formally committing to play squash for Georgetown University. Josh Simon, her private coach, helped Lin navigate the recruitment process. Working with student-athletes frequently, he feels that the system is difficult due to pressure, but also offers opportunities for student-athletes to prove themselves. “When you start seeing your peers get offers and maybe you haven’t got a single offer yet,
I think it’s hard to teach that person just to have patience and your time will come and continue doing what you’re doing: Don’t fall off. Don’t get panicked. The opportunity will be there, and don’t just get discouraged,” Simon said. “You have to stay true to the course and (have the student) understand that they’re okay. You have opportunities.”
Continued on page 3.
Increased ICE presence prompts community response Ashley Du and Tvisha Jani
Co-News Editor and Co-Copy Editor On March 28, community members took to the streets of Wayne and Philadelphia with hand-painted signs and chants as part of the nationwide “No Kings” rally. According to State Rep. Lisa Borowski, a speaker at the Wayne rally, more than 600 residents from Chester and Delaware County participated in the march. Borowski said that the rally served as an outlet
to express discontent over current political policies, including the community presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, in a productive and peaceful way. These rallies, along with other community efforts, have allowed the public to express concerns in response to local ICE presence. “People are frustrated because there’s really not a lot you can do. This (the rally) was a way to demonstrate in a very public way and register the concern and the displeasure over what’s happen-
ing. So I think for many people, (the rally) is just such a great opportunity,” Borowski said. “I’ve definitely heard from residents who are concerned and want to know what they can do to be helpful. We’ve had a lot of residents go through training where people can (become) monitors and alerting when situations are happening around ICE.” According to the ICE website, the Department of Homeland Security established ICE in 2003 as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. State Rep. Melissa Shusterman feels that
the presence of ICE across the nation and in Tredyffrin/Easttown has grown in recent years. “Over the last several months, across the U.S., especially in Minnesota, and across our own state, we have seen an increase in illegal and inhumane actions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers, including ICE officers,” Shusterman wrote in an email. “I will continue to insist on law and order in our communities, while standing with our local and state police.”
Sonja Dziegielewska/The SPOKE
Taking a stand: A rally attendee holds up a sign on protesting ICE’s presence within Philadelphia. Participants of the March 28 “No Kings” rallies gathered on the streets of various locations nationwide to bring attention to concerns regarding current political policies.
A Feb. 5 joint statement by Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe and president of the Chester County Police Chiefs Association Michael P. Carroll disclosed that Chester County law enforcement does not enforce civil immigration orders. The statement explained that none of the police departments in Chester County have signed a Section 287(g) Agreement, or a formal partnership between ICE and local law enforcement agencies to carry out immigration actions. Additionally, the statement asserts that Chester County law enforcement will investigate force events in relation to ICE, such as a police shooting. “We will take as long as we need to gather a complete understanding of what happened, and it does not matter whether the incident under investigation involves local, state or federal law enforcement,” the statement said. “There will be a complete and independent review by an experienced team of detectives and prosecutors. That has been the practice in Chester County for decades, and it will continue to be the practice in the future.” For information on what to do in an ICE-related situation, Borowski said that residents can call their state representatives’ offices. In addition, other local organizations have also become involved in sharing this information.
Sonja Dziegielewska/The SPOKE
Rally for change: Participants hold signs at the March 28 Philadelphia “No Kings” rally. Participants expressed discontent over the current political landscape. “A lot of churches are involved, a lot of synagogues, people that are trying to provide as much information as possible and give people the best opportunity to protect their neighbors and themselves to deal with these situations if they arise,” Borowski said. “The main thing is for people to know not to physically insert themselves into the process, but to be a witness for those who are being detained by ICE so that you can be supportive if needed.” In addition, Borowski and other state representatives are working on introducing legislation to address the increase in ICE activity, including placing restraints on locations where ICE activity can occur. “As a state legislature, we have introduced a lot of legislation to try to put guardrails around what ICE is doing. Legislation that wouldn’t permit them to go to courthouses and
wait for people in courthouses, because they are doing that,” Borowski said. “I think some of this (need for legislation) is because there is such a gray space between what they are allowed to do and what they’re doing.” Amid the uncertainty and opinions various residents have expressed regarding ICE activity in the area, Shusterman feels that it is important for community members to remain united. “I believe the best thing our community members can do right now is to stay engaged with our friends, neighbors, and community service non-profits within our local communities — creating new connections and strengthening existing ones,” Shusterman wrote in an email. “Additionally, I recommend advocating to your elected officials — federal, state, county and township — to express your opinions and concerns on topics that are important to you.”