Senior Destinatio ns MaP Pages 6-7 The Spoke’s special edition: 75th Volume
Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 75 No. 7
June 2, 2025
www.spoke.news
The Spoke celebrates 75th year
Reporters, advisers reflect on beginnings, experience beyond graduation
Nolan Talley/The SPOKE
Continuing the legacy: Laminated pages of The Spoke line the walls alongside signs with the school years. The newspaper served as a local news source, beginning under the name Eastfrin Echoes, shifting to The Conestoga Spoke and later choosing The Spoke.
By Saktisri Gowrishankar and Erin Zhang, Multimedia Editor and Co-Copy Editor The clock shows 2:30 a.m. during the 2000-01 school year. In a printing facility outside of school, then-senior and Managing Editor Jason Mazda and then-Editor-in-Chief Emily Bagby are still awake, working with
a CD and computer. Fighting exhaustion, they are determined to bring print pages of Conestoga High School’s student-run newspaper to its readers in the school and T/E community. “It was crazy. I think this was before we had cell phones, and both of our parents were not thrilled with us for being out that late. They were calling and trying to figure out where we were, but we got (the paper) out, and we kind of fine-tuned the process a little bit moving
forward, so it didn’t take quite that long every time,” Mazda said. “Those experiences — being just working late into the night to figure it out — it was good life experience.” Years later, students stay up late into the evening for the same purpose: reporting for The Spoke. This school year, the paper completes its 75th volume, continuing a legacy of acting as a local media source for the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District community.
The publication dates back to 1955, when the school transitioned from Tredyffrin/Easttown High School to Conestoga Senior High School, and its student paper was officially titled The Conestoga Spoke. Prior to that, the paper was known as the Eastfrin Echoes. In 1992, it adopted the now-familiar name The Spoke. Class of 1977 alumnus Art Stewart was a student journalist for the newspaper for three years. He remembers writing
music columns and covering various stories throughout his time on the paper. Stewart appreciated The Spoke as an outlet for communication between student journalists and their community. “It (The Spoke) was pretty well read. There weren’t many publications, or there weren’t many communication vehicles to begin with in those days,” Stewart said. “I wasn’t the only one who was young and ambitious, who wanted to be a writ-
er, who wanted to have a voice, to be able to have a vehicle to communicate. So, it was a big deal for those of us who felt that calling.” Generations of students have felt that same calling and made their contribution to the newspaper. They have received guidance from advisers like retired Conestoga teacher Cyndi Hyatt, who served as an adviser of The Spoke from 200622. For Hyatt, The Spoke has played a significant role within
the area and is rooted in community pride. “What the president (of the Pennsylvania School Press Association) said was that The Spoke has been the example paper for all these advisers in Pennsylvania. They look to The Spoke,” Hyatt said. “There’s a real testament to that. The Spoke gave us 75 years at Conestoga. That’s pretty impressive. It’s really part of the fabric of our school and our community.” Continued on page 3.
USDA cancels $250,000 Chester County Food Bank order Nolan Talley Webmaster
On April 2, the Chester County Food Bank announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled their $250,000 food order. To
compensate for the canceled order, the food bank will need to purchase these goods from local farmers at increased retail prices. According to the food bank, it could lose up to $1 million worth of food orders this year if the cancellations continue.
“We received an email (from the USDA saying), ‘Hey, sorry that food order was canceled. It looks like it’s going to be continually canceled quarter over quarter. Have a nice day,’” said Food Bank Director of Community Relations Nicholas Imbesi.
Courtesy Chester County Food Bank
Fresh and local: The Chester County Food Bank provides locally sourced vegetables to the Chester County community. The food bank received a notice from the USDA that a $250,000 food order would be canceled quarterly.
The Chester County Board of Commissioners works closely with the food bank and believes the cuts will not impact the food bank’s operations now, but future cuts could change how the food bank operates internally. Following the news of the funding cuts, the food bank started an online community awareness campaign to spread news about the cancellation in an attempt to increase community donations. In addition to informing local residents, Chester County Board of Commissioners Chair Josh Maxwell encouraged state and federal elected officials to advocate for the restoration of federal funding. “First, we made sure that (the food bank) had the ability to continue providing food to populations, and they do. Second, was (to) make it clear to our federal elected officials what this money was going towards. We (the Chester County Board of Commissioners) met with Senator (David) McCormick’s staff, Senator (John) Fetterman’s staff (and) Congresswoman (Chrissy) Houlahan and we started keeping a spreadsheet of food cuts,” Maxwell said. “So when they’re advocating on our behalf, hopefully they will have the details needed to provide that information.” The food bank reported that last fiscal year, they distributed 4.6 million pounds of food and estimates distribution of more than 6 million pounds of food by the end of this fiscal year. The food
Courtesy Chester County Food Bank
Preparing for distribution: The Chester County Food Bank sets up an order of food for its community partners across the district. Last fiscal year, the food bank stated that it distributed 4.6 million pounds of food. bank provides food through more than 160 community partners throughout Chester County. Feeding America’s 2023 meal gap study found that 9.2% of people in Chester County suffered from food insecurity. This number has increased by 1.1% from the previous year’s study. As food insecurity rates rise, Imbesi feels that federal funding is important for the food bank to be able to accomplish its mission of providing food. “We’re seeing a lot of individuals, a lot of families,
struggling with food insecurity right now because of the cost-of-living crisis,” Imbesi said. “We are seeing increased need, so it’s a very poor time to withdraw any type of funding from us because we’re serving more and more people because of the simple cost of living that we’re experiencing in the county.” The food bank also exclusively contracts with local farmers in Chester County to receive food. Local farmers sell food to the bank as a primary way to distribute their
produce. Food bank officials state that without federal funding, the harvest could potentially go to waste. “I believe, in my heart, that people will see the need and Congress will see the need,” said Chester County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Marian Moskowitz. “If these cuts are going to go long term, I don’t know that the food bank is going to be able to sustain itself with contributions, but we have to feed our people. So, long term, if we can’t feed people, that’s just dangerous.”