June 6, 2011 StoganewS.com

T H E coneStoga HigH ScHool, Berwyn, Pa

Sp ke Volume 61 no. 7

Liz Bravacos & Meghan MorrisEditors Emeritus

Students selected for the HOBY Leadership Programsince 2005

Students in executive leadership positions of clubs

Losingthe

LEAD

Graphic: Luke Rafferty, Sam Winfield and Mary Turocy/The SPOKE

When 2009 ’Stoga graduates Nick Dobner and Lewis West began the Three Cups of Tea club to help build a school in Afghanistan, they both strongly believed in Conestoga’s ability to make a difference. But two years after leading the group, which raised more than $9,000 for youth education in central Asia, they stand on separate sides of the debate regarding the charity that they once worked to help.

During the 2008-09 school year, Dobner and West helped to start a campaign for funds to benefit the Central Asia Institute (CAI). The two students were inspired by the best-selling novel “Three Cups of Tea,” co-written by Greg Mortenson about his experiences helping to build schools in Pakistan, where there is often little emphasis on youth and female education. However, on April 17, Jon Krakauer, a writer who lent early support to CAI and Mortenson’s efforts, accused Mortenson of lying about his experiences in his book and mismanaging the CAI charity on the popular news broadcast “60 Minutes.”

“It’s incredibly disappointing and very up-setting,” West said. “Not only because of what [Mortenson] did and that he misled people, but also [that] we were involved with working for an organization like that.”

Though the ’Stoga effort was not officially affil-iated with CAI, the community contributed hours of fundraising efforts and thousands of dollars to the charity. West even visited all World Cultures classes to help others recognize the need to support education in Pakistan.

“At the time, [I wanted to help because] it seemed like a very effective organization with an inspiring story, which could be very easily applied to a community effort to make an international im-pact,” West said.

See TEA, p. 3

Students let down by ‘Tea’

controversy K.C. McConnell & Laura WeissNews Editor & Co-editor-in-chief

16

3059

Senior DeStinationS MapSee p. 12-13

Females Males

Females Males

Somewhere among the 508 graduates of the Class of 2011 are future pioneers, not just in the T/E community, but in the working world.

By the numbers, this transition should correlate with a surge of new female leaders on the horizon. Yet even though females outnumber males in leadership positions at Conestoga by a 2:1 ratio, the gender gap does not favor women when they leave school campuses. Once women enter the business world, they’re no longer in the lead.

“Men have a better shot at being successful because they’re men and they can use [female] relationship styles and be successful,” said Linda Jurczak, a researcher and assistant professor in the Communi-cation Arts Department at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

Jurczak’s findings were supported by a 2008 Pew Research Center study, which showed that Americans believe that women possess more important leadership traits, such as intelligence,

compassion and creativity, than men. However, only six percent of respondents believed that women make better political leaders. Pew also reported that women compose just two percent of CEOs of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies and comprise a mere 16 percent of Congress.

The numbers at the high school level are completely flipped. Though enrollment is almost evenly split here—49 percent of Conestoga is male—there are 30 male club presidents, compared to 59 female presidents among active groups (both numbers include co-presidents). Additionally, 152 girls were honored at Service and Leadership Award Night last month, compared to 95 boys.

“We’ve seen strong female presence [in the Class of 2011],” said Principal Amy Meisinger. “It can fluctuate from year to year and some of that is just in regard to personality of the class and interest as well.”

See GENDER, p. 4

NEWS MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 2THE SPOKE

As this school year comes to a close, the budget for next school year is coming into its final stage. Due to an $8.9 million deficit, the district will implement various changes that students will see next fall.

The school board voted unani-mously to ap-prove the prelim-inary budget at a regular meeting held on May 9. The preliminary budget includes a $180 parking fee for students, which is an in-crease from the current $100 fee. The district decided not to have an activities fee for next school year.

“The school should have cuts to other areas instead of raising park-ing [fees] because in the past they haven’t [had fees this high for] any other grade,” said junior Caroline Moran, who currently pays to park.

At the May 9 meeting, the district

announced that the T/E Education Association (TEEA) offered a pay waiver for the first six months of next school year. Members of the teachers union will defer their contractually obligated pay increase for that time.

For the final semester of the 2011-12 school year and the first six months of the 2012-13 school year, TEEA members’ pay will be frozen at the

Laura WeissCo-editor-in-chief

District passes preliminary budget

Go online for TETV’s report on senior internships,

featuring Brian Cizek and weather-

man Glenn “Hurricane”

Schwartz.

Check out photos of the boys’ lacrosse team’s successful season and the AP Statistics chocolate taste test online.

stoganews.com

Teachers “understand what tight budget situations schools are in

right now.”

-Board president Karen Cruickshank

level of compensation for their final 2010-11 paychecks. However, the agreement stipulated that there could be no involuntary furloughs or demo-tions of TEEA members next year.

“Given the current economic situ-ation affecting school districts across the commonwealth, it was important for TEEA to contribute to help with

the budgetary crisis,” TEEA president Pete DePiano said.

School board president Karen Cruickshank said that the measure will save the district about $900,000.

Teachers “understand what tight budget situations schools are in right now. They know we’re raising taxes as much as we can to help this; they know that we’re cutting programs,”

Cru ickshank said. “This was their way of making a con-tribution to this budget deficit, so I think highly of our teachers.”

The T/E Non-ins t ruct ional Group (TENIG) also waived their

members’ salary increases next year, provided that custodial jobs are not outsourced.

The district votes on its finalized budget at a regular school board meet-ing on June 13.

Laura Weiss can be reached at lweiss@stoganews.com.

Reflections takes place today, June 6, at Daylesford Abbey as seniors reminisce about their time at Conestoga. Commencement is set for June 7 at Villanova Pa-villion where the Class of 2011 dons white and maroon gowns and bids farewell to Conestoga. Music will be provided by Conestoga’s Wind Ensemble.

The last regular school board meeting of the year will be June 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Conestoga cafeteria. School board members will vote on the finalized budget for next school year. The school board Finance Committee meeting will also be at Conestoga on June 20.

On June 19 park rangers and volunteers will host a March Out of the Continental Army commemoration at Valley Forge Park. Participants will hold a reenactment of the encampment at Valley Forge to honor and remember those who fought in the Revolutionary War.

The Pennsylvania SPCA Dog Walk takes place at Wilson Farm Park in Chesterbrook on June 26. The event raises money for homeless pets and for the PSPCA’s many programs, such as providing adoptions and animal shelter medicene. Dogs and owners alike are welcomed to participate in the event.

Pioneer posts: Upcoming in community

English teacher Michael Trainer and junior Zach Fox celebrate the end of AP exams during Trainer’s an-nual Prompt. AP Language and Composition students dressed in formal attire and decorated the classroom for the theme of “Outer space jungle.”

On June 17 Conestoga’s K12 Schoolbits email service will close. The new school email service will be available June 20. Students are advised to transfer any important emails from their school accounts to the new accounts via flash drive.

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

NEWSMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

Glass half empty: ‘Three Cups of Tea’ accused of leaky effort

PAGE 3THE SPOKE

“I am disappointed in Greg Morten-son as a person but his actions and

his program are still a positive force.”

-Nick Dobner

West said he believes that the alleged fabrications in Morten-son’s story and his alleged mismanagement of parts of the charity are not acceptable on any level and he finds it disturbing that he worked to help a charity accused of such dishonesty.

“I’m sad that I did all that work for an organization that turned out to not be what it’s supposed to be, but since we didn’t know at the time, I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” West said.

Dobner, co-founder of the ’Stoga effort for CAI, has a dif-ferent take on the allegations implicating the charity. Despite the intensity of the accusations made against the organization, which include using money in-tended for building schools to fund Mortenson’s book tours, Dobner remains fairly unfazed by the recent controversy.

“It really doesn’t change anything as far as the charity is concerned,” Dobner said. “In the local program that we set up, we

had a specific goal to raise a cer-tain amount for the charity.”

He said that though he be-lieves that parts of “Three Cups of Tea” may be fabricated, it does not change the positive things that the charity and Mortenson have contributed to their cause.

“Greg Mortenson is probably

the most responsible for any kind of positive action that has gone toward education in the region, and especially girls in Afghanistan, than anyone else currently living,” Dobner said.

Like West, Dobner said that he has no regrets regarding their support for CAI. Dobner also said that he still believes in the charity.

“I am disappointed in Greg Mortenson as a person, but his actions and his program are still a positive force and I’m glad we did what we did,” Dobner said.

In response to the allegations, Mortenson pro-vided an initial response.

“I stand by the information conveyed in my books and by the value of CAI’s work in empowering lo-cal communities to build and op-erate schools that have educated more than 60,000 students,” he said in a press release.

Interim Executive Director of CAI Anne Beyersdorfer talked with The Spoke regarding the allegations, however, she de-clined to comment due to pend-ing legal action.

Junior Arleigh Dolph has mixed feelings regarding the ac-cusations that sparked this con-troversy. Dolph’s World Cultures class listened to a presentation by the Three Cups of Tea club during his freshman year. At the time, Dolph said that he remem-

bers having doubts about the or-ganization.

“I thought the idea was good but I also thought it sounded too good to be true,” Dolph said.

In light of the recent scandal, Dolph’s view of the charity has become more negative.

“There [might not be] as much benefit as [Mortenson] said there actually was,” Dolph said. “I’d say it’s a good idea but it needs work on the execu-tion.”

While some are disillusioned, others have not yet lost faith in Mortenson or his charity. Senior

been blown out of proportion and Mortenson is undeserving of the large amount of negative at-tention he is now receiving.

“His intentions were good in the beginning,” Zheng said. “I think reporters were just having a slow news day and just wanted to make a big deal out of it.”

English teacher Judith Shep-herd, who advised the club in 2009, also holds faith in Morten-son and his charity. Shepherd said that she believes in Morten-son’s honest intentions.

“This man knows commit-ment. He is a very humble man,”

Shepherd said. “He knows he has to be a public person be-cause his commit-ment [to the chari-ty] is stronger than his personality.”

Shepherd said that she still sup-ports Mortenson’s efforts, despite the recent allegations

made against his management of CAI.

“Whatever the bookkeep-ing suggests, it is my hope that Mortenson’s work and the work of CAI continues and is not thwarted by the accusations and oversights,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd said that she will continue to send money to CAI and that she still admires Mortenson.

“I’d invite him for tea on any condition,” Shepherd said.

K.C. McConnell can be reached at kmcconnell@stoganews.com.

Continued from p. 1

Monica Zheng, who contributed to CAI fundraising at Cones-toga as a sophomore, said that she still believes Mortenson is a good person despite the allega-tions.

“It makes me believe a little less in his cause but I don’t think that [Mortenson is] a bad per-son,” Zheng said. “If this is true, it’s a shame that it happened but at the same time it was a [self-less] cause to begin with.”

Zheng also believes that the media has played a large part in casting Mortenson as a villain. She said that the situation has

Graphic: Sam Winfield/The SPOKE

38%Schools built in Kunar

Province of those promised, according to “60 Minutes”

41% Funds actually used for

school programs, according to “60 Minutes”

78%Funds used for programs,

according to CAI

NEWS MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

mines my decision-making as presi-dent, or that I have a bias because of it,” Levine said.

Levine was just one of many fe-male leaders of the Class of 2011. In addition to leadership, her peers have seen a considerable female domination in terms of achievement. Twenty-three females were named National Merit Semifinalists, based on PSAT performance, compared to 11 males. Additionally, 65 females are National Honor Society (NHS) members, compared to 33 males.

Disparities within NHS are not new, nor limited to one particular class: records since 2003 show that NHS membership has always been

more than 50 percent female, though leadership within the club tends to be more mixed. Junior Chris Davis, an NHS member, expressed the impor-tance of a diverse executive board.

“Part of having a representative is that the representative is represent-ing the entire constituency, not just one group,” Davis said.

The female leadership trend is not limited to one graduating class or club: Habitat for Humanity, a club that works to construct homes for the less fortunate, recently held officer elections for the upcoming school year. According to club member ju-nior Kevin Liu, four of the five elect-ed positions will be held by girls.

“I don’t have a problem with whether [the officers] are guys

or girls,” Liu said. “As long as they can do their

job correctly, it doesn’t really matter what gen-der [they are].”

PAGE 4THE SPOKE

Leveling the fieldOne of Liu’s fellow Habitat for

Humanity club members, junior Lizzie Lanzilotti, was one female elected to an officer position within the club for the coming school year. She will serve as the club’s treasurer and said that she feels gender does not make a difference when students partake in school-wide elections.

“I thought it was more of how well everybody knows the people running,” Lanzilotti said. “People vote for those who they think are qualified and people who they think will work hard and do their job to the best of their ability. It is more based on that than gender.”

“My experience is that everyone, regard-less of gender, is fit to lead,” said David Lowitz, director of op-erations for Chicago programs for the Na-tional Student Lead-ership Conference (NSLC). “The NSLC believes that just as there is not one type of person, there is not one type of leader.”

Lowitz said that the NSLC, which holds summer programs on college campuses nationwide for high school students to develop leadership skills, uses a gender-blind admissions pro-cess and maintains a fairly consistent 55 percent female, 45 percent male gender breakdown overall.

Potential causesDespite attempts to create bal-

ance, researcher Jurczak, from Val-dosta State University, found that women are typically at a disadvan-tage when leading in the working world. Using her background and knowledge from her October 2010 report about the effect of sex and gender on perceptions of leaders, Ju-rczak shared insight about ’Stoga’s high number of female leaders.

“It seems that because females are more relational and because the way that we’ve been socialized is more caring, perhaps it’s more im-portant to us that organizations suc-ceed and clubs succeed,” Jurczak

said. “We take leadership roles to help them succeed because we care.”

After four years of research, Jurczak concluded that people prefer more relational traits in

their leaders. Pamela Jacob,

Leadership & academicsFemale leadership outside of the

classroom is mirrored by female rep-resentation on the Honor Roll and in the National Honor Society (NHS). During the second academic quarter, 61 percent of seniors on the Honor Roll were female. Additionally, 66 percent of seniors and 61 percent of juniors involved in the 2010-11 NHS are female. NHS requires members, among other qualifications, to have a minimum 4.70 GPA.

NHS advisor Lydia Hallman verified that the entire 2010-11 NHS executive board was female, a fact that she attributes to the personalities involved in the group. She said this was her first year since she began ad-vising, in 2003, that all officers were female, and that next year, the NHS board is made up of four females and two males.

“We take on dif-ferent roles when we’re in an all fe-male group than when we’re in a mixed group, it’s just human nature,” Hallman said. “It was challenging.”

While Hallman said that the year was more challenging due to the single-sex board, 2010-11 NHS president and senior Sarah Levine felt that her gender did not affect her leadership. She said that she be-lieves the traditional male leadership

stereotype is reversed in the T/E district because students of both sexes have an equal opportunity to do well, when com-pared to other areas.

“I never think that my sex deter-

the leadership seminar co-chairper-son for the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) organization, offered another reason for the high number of female teen leaders. She attributes the trend of female domi-nation in high school leadership to the maturity of students, which dif-fers according to gender.

“At the age we start the HOBY program, most young women are more mature than the average 15 to 16-year-old male,” Jacob said. “That’s not a general statement, as there are great male leaders at that age, but I think across the board, pre-dominantly young women are more responsible at that age.”

Levine, the 2010-11 NHS presi-

Falling behind: Females lose top leadership spots after ’Stoga

“As long as they can do their job correctly, it doesn’t really matter

what gender [they are].”

- Junior Kevin Liu

Admissions gameLiz Bravacos for The SPOKE

Girls suffer in college application processDespite the fact that females

outnumber males in extra-curricu-lar leadership, national data reflects that they are at a disadvantage in college admissions. A 2007 U.S. News and World Report inves-tigation found that men had a 13 percent higher college admission rate when compared to women, a statistic that NYU professor and op-ed contributor Jonathan Zim-merman included in a column he wrote for The Philadelphia Inquir-er in April.

“White men have not been his-torically discriminated against in the United States,” he said. “The last time I looked, they run the country. I find it outrageous that the very group that has had the most historical privilege, i.e. my group, should also be getting privi-leges in college admissions.”

Continued from p. 1

Zimmerman said that universi-ties’ main argument for accepting higher percentages of male appli-cants is because they want to be desirable places for prospective students to apply, which happens when a campus is gender diverse.

As both an educator and the fa-ther of a senior at Lower Merion, Zimmerman said that girls’ lack of reaction to the news that boys tend to be accepted to college more eas-ily saddens him. He said that he supports classroom discussion of the topic.

“At a place like Conestoga with high-achieving kids who are all applying to the same elite institu-tions, you’re the kids, you’re the students who are going to be af-fected by these trends,” he said. “You’re precisely the people that should be talking about it.”

dent, demonstrated enough responsi-bility to be elected to her position by her fellow members last spring. As she moves on to Barnard College, Levine considered what the future holds for female teen leaders.

“It will be interesting to see how this plays out after college and in our future,” she said. “If our generation is so female-dominated, what will that mean for the future corporate and economic leaders?”

Staff reporters Allison Kozeracki and Brittany Roker contributed to this story.

Liz Bravacos can be reached at lbra-vacos@stoganews.com.

Service and Leadership Award

Seniors in NHS 2010 - 2011

Juniors in NHS 2010 - 2011

Males

Females

152

95

33

65

29

46

Graphic: Luke Rafferty

NEWSMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

Juniors J.J. Burgwin, Sohan Sheth and Connor Umsted stand victorious with club advisors Cathy Bond and Cyn-thia Hyatt and former American ambassador to Iceland Carol van Voorst after winning second-place medals.

Lavi Ben-DorConvergence Editor

When juniors J.J. Burgwin, Sohan Sheth and Connor Umsted step onto the stage, they transport their audience back to 1925. To-gether they reenact the Scopes trial, a pivotal case in which teacher John Scopes was accused of breaking the law for teaching evolution in his classroom.

After months of preparation, Burgwin, Sheth and Umsted placed second in Pennsylvania’s National History Day Competition. This vic-tory qualifies them for the national competition on June 12-16 at the University of Maryland.

“Looking back, I was surprised that we made it,” Umsted said, “When we first started, I didn’t think we were going to make it to states so I was completely surprised that we made it to nationals.”

In their ten-minute skit titled “Monkey See, Monkey Sue,” the actors portray the historical impact of the Scopes trial. Participating in the competition was a requirement for the group members’ Advanced

Theater Arts class. They began their project by brainstorming a list of topics relating to “Debate and Diplomacy,” the theme of this year’s competition, and writing the rough draft of their script.

“By participating in National History Day, it improves your re-search skills [and] it teaches you perseverance,” said librarian and National History Day Club co-advisor Cathy Bond. “The students learn that working toward a goal is very satisfying, and they learn criti-cal thinking skills.”

The students devoted a large amount of their time to studying the history behind their topic. Sheth said that the intense research required for the project gave him a new outlook on studying history and learning from the past.

Participating in National His-tory Day “has given me more of an appreciation for research and his-tory itself,” Sheth said. “It’s really interesting to see how it applies to everyday life.”

For Umsted, the dramatic aspect of the project put a twist on his research.

“Learning the information through acting is a lot easier for me than if I was required to learn the in-formation in school,” Umsted said.

As the date of the national com-petition approaches, the actors

Students research, reenact history at national level

PAGE 5THE SPOKE

Photo courtesy Connor Umsted

prepare to perform and to possibly emerge victorious. Sheth said that, although he hopes that they will win, he is mainly focused on enjoying the experience.

“Ideally, to win at the national

level would be awesome,” Sheth said. “But I hope we do our best and have fun.”

Lavi Ben-Dor can be reached at lbendor@stoganews.com.

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NEWS MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 6THE SPOKE

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Patrick Nicholson Staff Reporter

On his 18th birthday, almost every Conestoga student becomes eligible to vote in local, state and national elections. However, one study sug-gests that many 18-year-old Ameri-can students know little about their government.

According to the results from the 2010 National Assessment of Edu-cational Progress (NAEP), twelfth grade American students averaged a score of less than 50 percent on their most recent national civics exam. The NAEP civics exam was given to 9,900 twelfth graders from 460 schools. The exam tests knowledge of American government and history.

Contrary to what some may be-lieve, U.S. History teacher Emma Lefkowitz said that an increase of civics in the school curriculum would not improve American students’ civ-ics knowledge. She also said that a greater focus on civics would not solve the overall problems with edu-cation in the United States.

“The fundamental problem is that we teach too many things in school and we teach them in a way that is generally ineffective for long term retention,” Lefkowitz said. “Civics is just another victim of that same problem.”

Like Lefkowitz, U.S. Government teacher Muna Elshakhs said that a subject such as civics can be difficult for students to absorb in a classroom setting. Nonetheless, Elshakhs noted that getting students to understand civics is of the utmost importance.

“It’s one of the most important top-ics for students to understand because they need to understand their rights as citizens, their responsibilities as a citizen and the role that they play in our government,” Elshakhs said.

Junior Sam Allon, the president of Young Democrats club, shares Elshakhs’s views on increasing civics knowledge among students. Allon said that the club is trying to increase civics knowledge among students who are or soon will be eligible to vote.

“In the future, we want to further

Faculty bid final goodbyes

Civically disengaged: Students score low on national exam

encourage people with questions about civics to come to [the club],” Allon said. “We want to make people as informed as possible.”

Senior James Andrews, who is of voting age, also believes that civics knowledge is important for students. He said that older students have a responsibility to know their govern-

On her first day as a teacher in 1976, gym teacher Mike Werley re-members walking through the doors of Conestoga and entering hallways filled with the melodies of “Chicago” being played over the loudspeaker.

Werley, who has taught at Con-estoga for 35 years, is retiring at the end of this school year. Like some of her fellow retirees, Werley said that she enjoyed working at ’Stoga and will carry fond memories of her time here.

“It’s my home away from home. Sometimes I think I spend more time here than at my own house,” Werley said.

Staff members Stephen Becker, Geri Burns, Marnie Herzfeld, Mar-jorie Hoffman, Robert Novotni and Fran Tomaselli will also be leaving at the end of this school year. Some faculty members, such as Becker, have big plans for their future. After 18 years of working at Conestoga, Becker is leaving to pursue his inter-est in helping to solve environmental issues.

“I’ve had a passion for the en-vironment on a personal level for many, many years and the more I’ve

read recently, the more I felt like I wanted to be a part of the group that’s trying to find solutions,” Becker said. “I don’t want to look back and say, ‘There are some really bad things that happened and I could’ve done something about it.’”

Becker said that being a counselor has given him interpersonal skills through his interactions with students and parents.

“I’ve grown a lot as a person through this job,” Becker said. “Work-ing with kids and parents and teach-ers and administrators—it’s a good challenge.”

Some students have worked with Becker since their first day of school. Sophomore Sarah Moore said that she appreciates the amount of dedication Becker has for his job.

“He is understanding, sympa-thetic and a really nice guy overall,” Moore said. “You can tell that he has the best intentions for you and he actually cares about what’s going on in your life and he wants to make everything better in your high school experience.”

Like many of Conestoga’s retir-ees, Becker said that he will miss the school that he has worked at for many years. Becker said that he will never forget the good times he has had working at ’Stoga.

“There’s not a day in the 18 years that I’ve been here that I haven’t woken up without being excited to go to Conestoga,” Becker said.

Neel Thakur can be reached at nthakur@stoganews.com.

Neel ThakurStaff Reporter

ment as they have the ability to vote on their government.

“It’s important to know civics because the power is in the hands of the people,” Andrews said.

Andrews believes that such an increase in civics knowledge would also increase voter turnout. He also believes that a lack of knowledge

could be responsible for a lack of young voters.

“If they don’t know anything, they won’t vote because they don’t have the incentive to vote anyway,” Andrews said.

Patrick Nicholson can be reached at pnicholson@stoganews.com.

Graphic by Anisa Tavangar/ The SPOKECan you pass an 8th grade civics test?

1.) What is one responsibility that modern Presidents have which was not described in the Constitution? a. Commanding the armed forces b. Granting pardons c. Appointing Supreme Court justices

d. Proposing an annual budget to Congress

2.) Which of the following has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?a. Requiring students in public schools to recite prayers b. Requiring journalists to reveal the names of people who provide information for news stories c. Allowing citizens to sue the Federal government d. Allowing states to require that children be vaccinated against diseases

Answers: 1. d, 2. a

Graphic: Anisa Tavangar/The SPOKE

Editors-in-chief: Mary Turocy, Laura Weiss

Managing Editor: Luke RaffertyNews Editor: K.C. McConnell

Op-Ed Editor: Haley Xue Features Editor: Natalie West

Sports Editors: Maddie Amsterdam, Abby Pioch

Copy Editor: Allison Kozeracki Community Relations Editor:

Brittany Roker Convergence Editor: Lavi

Ben-DorBusiness Manager: Heather Ward

Photo Editor: Karolis PanavasCartoonist: Tina Pan

Graphic Design: Margot Field, Anisa Tavangar, Brooke Weil, Sam

WinfieldStaff: Kelly Benning, Dana

Bronzino, Tracy Cook, David Kramer, Daniel McConnell,

Stetson Miller, Claire Moran, Patrick Nicholson, Emily Omrod,

Sophia Ponte, Dolly Prabhu, Emily Seeburger, Jenna Spoont, Shwetha Sudhakar, Neel Thakur, Julianne

VallottonFaculty Advisers: Susan

Houseman, Cynthia Crothers-Hyatt

The Spoke will print letters of general interest to the student body and community. Signed letters under 200 words may be submitted to Susan Houseman, Cynthia Hyatt, Mary Turocy or Laura Weiss. Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, and not necessarily those of the administration, s tudent body, community or advertisers. The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke.

Submissions

The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash Printing. It consistently receives the Gold Award from the Pennsylvania School Press Association and is a National School Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.

Email: spoke@stoga.netPhone: 610-240-1046

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News Director: Lavi Ben-Dorlbendor@stoganews.com

This season of “The Office” included a good-bye to Michael Scott, the show’s endearing and often off-task boss. As Michael went through his list of goodbyes, it became evident how much the office would miss him, even though he usually seems completely unproductive.

As I watched, wondering why his goodbye was making me tear up, I began to think about seniors graduating and about whether ’Stoga will miss me when I graduate in just a year.

Then, as Michael said a symbolic goodbye to each office member, I thought about my list—all the seniors whom I’m going to miss every day next year. As seniors graduate tomorrow and Mi-chael leaves Scranton, I realize that we only have one shot at each stage in our lives. This is your time in high school, so let graduation remind you that soon you too will have to say goodbye.

Until then, take a page out of Michael’s note-book. Sure, he might not have been the most ef-fective boss, or the most professional. But he put his heart into his job and with that there aren’t any regrets. Earlier in his life, with high hopes for his financial future, Michael promised a group of underprivilged students that he would pay their college tuitions if they kept their grades up. Ten years later, when all of the students were graduating, Michael had no funds to pay for their educations and instead offered them laptop bat-teries. He may have made a bad mistake, but it stemmed from his heart. Similarly, even if your SAT score or your season record doesn't become your proudest memory, you did no wrong if you put your heart into your efforts.

Sure, when Michael left the office, it stung to leave his "best friends" behind, from Ryan, the intern whom he idolized, to Dwight, the sales-man who idolized Michael, often to Michael's disdain. But that sting is what tells you that the chunk of your life that you're leaving behind was done right and with plenty of heart.

My plan: to put my heart into the long pro-duction nights producing The Spoke and tedious college applications that I know are ahead of me, even if I can't do it all perfectly.

But in the meantime, I think I’m going take some more of Michael’s brilliant advice for my attire for tomorrow’s graduation: “T-shirt idea: goodbyes stink.” Maybe too casual, but it's ex-actly how I hope my goodbyes feel next year, so that I know I gave it my all.

Laura Weiss can be reached at lweiss@stoganews.com.

T-shirt idea: Goodbyes

stink

Growing civics crisis The Spoke encourages students to be more civically aware

From the Editor

OpinionMONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

A couple of weeks ago, the hallways were covered with posters for student council sena-tor elections. While there were several students running for senator, only a few ran for president, vice president, treasurer and secretary in the board position elections a few weeks earlier.

According to the large poster listing the can-didates and their statements, only one student ran for many of the positions—hardly what we consider an “election,” since, after all, there was only one choice.

The indifference toward student council is not only reflected in the lack of willingness to lead and serve the student body but also in the observation that many students did not bother to vote for their representatives. Whether it is because they forgot or “didn’t feel like it,” the blank spaces keeping track of the students who did not vote were representative of the increas-ingly apathetic attitude toward politics and civ-ics.

A similar lack of concern toward civics is also revealed on the national level. The Nation-al Civics Report Card, recently released by The National Assessment of Educational Progress, showed that only 24 percent of twelfth grade students scored proficient or above, even though a majority of them were taught civics in school. Uncle Sam would be very disappointed.

With a declining emphasis on civics, it is time to take action at our own school. It is the student body's right and re-sponsibility to vote. We should not give up an opportunity to vote and voice our opinion to make a change at our school.

On the other hand, the student council board needs to be aware of its responsi-bilities. It is student coun-cil's obligation to give meaning to their posi-tions and encourage meaningful progress.

Perhaps the reason some students neglect vot-ing for student council stems from the belief that no one will bother to make a difference anyway. Student council should aim to eliminate this thought in students' minds and work to encourage change. Although student council is a beneficial establishment for Conestoga, it could be executed more effectively.

The Spoke believes that student council can-didates should give speeches so that the student body can hear what the candidates have to say about improving our school. It would prevent stu-dents from simply voting for a name that looks fa-miliar on the ballot. Through candidate speeches, students might be more inclined to participate in the student government and prevent students from claiming that elections are merely a contest based on popularity.

As this school year comes to a close, we should consider changing our perspective toward student council for the next school year. We should work to change our cynical views and indifferent at-titudes. Students believe that it is “no big deal” if they do not vote for representatives. However, voting is more important than it seems. Student council elections are an opportunity for us to voice our opinions and it is student council that should be listening. It means that we’re allowed to stand out and speak up, no matter who disagrees.

As students, it is essential that we understand what our

rights and responsibili-ties are to the govern-

ment, whether it’s the student govern-ment here at Con-estoga or the one in Washington D.C. It is our chance to let our voices be heard—let’s make Uncle Sam proud.

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

OP/ED MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

The Opposition:

PAGE 8THE SPOKE

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

“It shouldn’t be used as a main source but it’s useful for an overview on a topic.”

“Wikipedia is reliable because it has external links and references.”

“No, it’s not, because people can change the information anytime.”

Sophomore Monisha Shah

JuniorKlajdi Zeqollari

Freshman Stone Wang

SeniorChelsea McCoubrie

“Yes, because it has great information.”

“Is Wikipedia a reliable source?” Allison Kozeracki

Copy Editor

to the dedication of volunteers, mistakes and vandalism can be removed from an article within a matter of seconds. If you look under “Notes,” you’ll see that every article contains a collection of properly cited external sources to ensure that the information provided is accurate.

If people didn’t care, all of Wikipedia’s 18 million articles would be taken over by middle schoolers with nothing better to do than publish unintelligible prose. The Internet can be a very shady place so it is always uplift-ing to see a worldwide commu-nity of people working—without pay—to benefit the common good.

But the worldwide community

of volunteers extends beyond just the encyclopedia. Wikipedia is part of the Wikimedia Founda-tion, a non-profit organization that operates several collaborative projects such as Wiktionary and Wikiquote. Its mission: “To em-power and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally”—not to trick in-nocent students into putting false information in their last-minute research papers.

Wikipedia has its flaws, but hey, nobody’s perfect.[citation needed]

Allison Kozeracki can be reached at akozeracki@stoganews.com.

Give Wikipedia credit where credit is due

- Although Wikipedia can provide a good gen-eral overview, it may not thoroughly cover the details and specific information on a topic and may have implicit bias.

- Because of its acces-sibility, the site can be a target for electronic vandalism.

- Students often rely solely on Wikipedia for information, discourag-ing them from research-ing more varied and academic sources.

There’s probably only one website I use more than Face-book, and I’m not ashamed to say that it’s an online encyclopedia.

Over the past decade, Wiki-pedia, the free encyclopedia, has become an invaluable research tool for me, as well as millions of other users worldwide.

But many teachers prohibit the use of Wikipedia for their research projects. Frankly, Wikipedia does not deserve its bad reputation. Its potential for vandalism should not discredit its enormous supply of cited, accurate information. To write it off as an “unreliable source” is an insult to the people who volunteer their time to ensure that it is as accurate as possible.

If I Google an unfamiliar topic, Wikipedia is almost always the first search result. It can provide a comprehensive explanation of everything from the buttered

After the incident with Ms. X about the research project, Johnny never mentioned the word “Wikipedia” again.

cat paradox to Japanese foreign policy on Africa.

What makes Wikipedia so useful is its source of criticism: all content is user-submitted. Wikipedia does not have a paid team of professionals writing and preparing content for the next edition. Rather, it asks us to be the authors.

Because Wikipedia is found exclusively online, it is able to receive a constant stream of new information and is updated accordingly. Virtually anyone with Internet access can edit or publish an article. Of course, this accessibility opens the door for “vandals” to publish false information or utter nonsense. Although someone did write that the Greek philosopher Plato was a Hawaiian weatherman and a student of Barney the Purple Di-nosaur, there’s a reason why it’s rare to stumble upon instances like this where an article has been blatantly vandalized.

It’s because people care. It sounds cheesy, I know, but the accuracy is remarkable. Thanks

OP/EDMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 9THE SPOKE

Mary TurocyCo-editor-in-chief

far from everlasting declarations of love—they’re more like phone num-bers written on a bathroom wall.

The main advertising tech-nique—if you can call it that—is sheer volume. Currently, 12.5 pounds of mail, most of it unread, occupy a clear plastic bin under my bed. Multiply that by approxi-mately 500 juniors at Conestoga, and you’ve wasted enough paper to kill 31 trees, and probably enough money to pay a decent chunk of my first year college tuition.

College propaganda clutters the digital world as well. The 763 emails from colleges imploring me to “dare to be bold” and “dis-cover my passion” are relegated to a special folder taking up 190 MB of storage space on my email account.

However, the excess of elec-tronic communication provides me with a little bit of entertainment, usually through standard teenage eyeball rolling and snarky com-ments. Think of it as making fun of bad pick-up lines.

Among my favorites: In a des-perate effort to one-up all of the other schools vying for applicants’ attention, American University dis-tributed an email titled, “Sick and

tired of all the college stuff?” Of course, the included link takes you to its webpage filled with, predict-ably, college stuff.

The least that colleges could do is to personalize their emails and letters to students but even that seems unlikely. An email I received from Dickinson College included an entire paragraph about how Dick-inson is “the ideal place for Jewish faith and cultural exploration.” I’m not Jewish, and I’ve clearly said so on the survey portion of my standardized tests. It’s a faux pas almost as bad as getting a girl’s name wrong—not likely to earn you a second date.

However, some schools have figured out how to play the college dating game correctly. The quickest way to my geeky heart is through books—specifically “Harry Potter.” So it was no surprise that I thought I’d taken a sip of a love potion when Kenyon College emailed me asking “Still waiting for your owl?” Kenyon probably won’t make my final list of schools, but I’ll always remember their creative allusion with fondness.

Still, the majority of college mail feels like the inside of a Hallmark card—sweet and syrupy but generic

and lacking any real personality. For a while, this caused me to feel quite jaded about the college application process.

But I’ve discovered that even though the self-serving motivations of the college system are worth keeping in mind, engaging in pro-longed bouts of cynical detachment won’t benefit me in the long run.

Dr. Phil would diagnose me with a fear of commitment—using sarcasm to avoid the fact that in ten short months, I’ll be deciding where to spend the next four years of my life.

Relationships are certainly com-plicated and the college process unquestionably is as well. Despite all the potential pitfalls, there are plenty of great schools—and cute guys—to go around. So relax. Don’t get lost in all of the mind games—Naviance scattergrams, AP credit and US News & World Report rankings—or forget that the college search is supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

Basic common sense is still necessary but we all deserve some love too.

Mary Turocy can be reached at mturocy@stoganews.com.

College courtship: Searching for happiness Report Card

Finals

+ Final tests of the year

- Reminder that school isn’t over—yet

+ Lacrosse and tennis teams snag titles

- School board nixes Under Armour sponsorship

Summerschoolwork

+ Less work to do during the school year

- More work to do during “break”

Tanning

+ Chance to finally get that summer glow

- Health projects taking over Facebook remind us of the

consequences

Parking fee increase

+ Increases revenue for district

- Seniors will have to shell out another $80

Loss of water coolers

+ Relatively harmless deficit-reducing measure

- The thirsty may have to resort to (gasp!) the water fountain

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

Boys sports

Choosing a college is supposed to be like falling in love. However, the way colleges market themselves to prospective students, it feels more like guys are flirting with me for all the wrong reasons.

On the day that I got my first college letter, I was looking for a soul mate. I eagerly tore open the flap, feeling a mixture of excitement and relief, thinking, “One school wants me.”

As the initial trickle of letters and emails became a steady stream, I realized that my first impressions were doubly flawed. First, that school—whose name I promptly forgot—was only one of many col-leges interested in adding another address to their gigantic mailing list, one that happened to lead right to my doorstep. Second, I quickly found out that college letters are

OP/ED MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

Haley XueOp-Ed Editor

Upon opening TIME maga-zine’s special issue featuring the 100 most influential people in the world, the first name I noticed was Justin Bieber—and his new haircut. His picture, spread across two full pages of the magazine, made me wonder what will become of his signature hair flip since he got his shorter ’do. To be completely hon-est, I was a little surprised that the “Crown Prince of Pop” even made it onto the list.

TIME’s 100 list also featured people like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Julian Assange. While some may debate whether Justin Bieber deserves to be recognized, TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influ-ential list reminds us that we can take a positive role in shaping our

society and influence the world in a variety of ways.

In our personal lives, we should strive to advocate positive changes to our society. Recently at Cones-toga, a large number of students earned Service and Leadership Awards, proving that students are willing to work to improve our school community, even on a small scale. We should continue to search for new opportunities that arise so

that we can contribute positively to society.

If some can commit a lifetime to a cause, like honoree Geoffrey Canada who works toward educa-tion reform, we should easily be able to dedicate a single day. TIME shows that it’s possible to change the world with your own unique flair.

Although the people honored on the list are different in many ways,

they possess similar characteristics that are essential in moving society in a better direction.

These individuals remind us that persistence and determination are driving factors in finding a voice that will stand out and motivate oth-ers toward a certain cause—a voice that will bring people together.

TIME honoree Aung San Suu Kyi exemplifies this characteristic well. She continues to fight for democracy in Burma despite be-ing placed under house arrest for seven years.

The people on TIME’s list re-main dedicated toward their cause and are capable of taking risks and seizing opportunities.

Another individual featured on the list, Takeshi Kanno, risked his own life after the earthquake in Japan to save others. It’s people like Kanno who remind us that we can’t just stand in the shadows waiting for others to be proactive, but must take action ourselves to make changes that we would like to see.

Already, countless clubs at Conestoga are dedicated to helping the community in different ways.

TIME lists 100 ways for you to change the world

PAGE 10THE SPOKE

“Fighter,” a Christina Agu-ilera song which I solely like because it has a nice message in the lyrics, includes a line that says, “Thank you for all you put me through because it made me that much stronger.” And that is exactly what Conestoga has done for me.

Any school can offer 28 Ad-vanced Placement classes and more than 100 clubs, but not ev-ery school can provide the same competitive atmosphere as “The Big C.”

While it does drive me abso-lutely crazy when someone gets upset over a 95 percent grade on a test, the overall atmosphere has made me a fighter.

Conestoga’s athetically and academically driven student

population provides a great deal of competition. With peers who promote friendly competition, we’re able to realize and meet our full potential while cultivating hard work and success.

Therefore, I suggest to all of you who wish to improve at something, whether it be march-ing band or your soccer team or another activity, to find someone who is simply better than you are at the activity of your choice in every aspect. Because, according to Christina Aguilera, they will make you better, they will make you stronger and they will make you a fighter.

In these past two years, I have pushed myself to work harder on the volleyball court because there was someone else who excelled at the same position that I play. Be-cause of my competitive nature, I could not accept that she was better than me. In my mind, she became the “enemy,” someone who had to be beaten, and I was going to work harder than ever to accomplish that goal.

I will never know if I would have worked as hard or have become as good as I am now if

she were not there in the back of my mind as a driving force, but I do know that indirectly, she has helped me to succeed. And although I used to view her as my competitor, she has now become like an older sister to me.

Some people support the idea of having only internal motiva-tion but I believe that they are not entirely correct. It is fine to want to win for yourself but if you have no external competition, you may become complacent with your current accomplishments and prevent yourself from improving even more.

Finding an external motiva-tor is an important factor toward achieving success. Whether it be an older sibling, teammate or mentor, if you are a competitive person, he or she will drive you to work harder and it will pay off.

Competition does not just occur between friends. On a national level, corporations and organizations are always compet-ing with each other to develop the best product and to make the most money, which translates into success. For example, Bill Gates and Microsoft have made an ef-

resources become more scarce, we cannot push “fights” away. We must embrace them with open arms and appreciate how they make us work harder, how they will allow us to thrive and how they shape us into success-ful people.

Heather Ward can be reached at hward@stoganews.com.

Heather WardBusiness Manager

Competition helps students become fighters

Key Club offers students many op-portunities to volunteer throughout the year. Young Artists for People, a new club this year, calls together students musicians to perform at senior homes.

All of these clubs help to better the community in different ways, but they each contribute to the com-mon goal of improving the world. Thus, you should support these clubs in their efforts and perhaps you might consider joining the cause yourself.

Although we have already en-couraged a great amount of positive change, we cannot become compla-cent with our current efforts—there is still more that we can do.

Whether it’s supporting better exercise and health like Michelle Obama, inspiring fans to pursue their dreams like Justin Bieber or picking up a discarded water bottle in the courtyard during lunch, we can each make a positive difference. Each act of kindness counts and contributes to the common goal of an improved society.

Haley Xue can be reached at hxue@stoganews.com.

fort to counter Google with their own search engine, BING, which supposedly stands for Because It’s Not Google. And it is no co-incidence that Google designed the Android only months after the iPhone became a phenomenon—they were competing with Steve Jobs and Apple.

As the world economy be-comes more competitive and as

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

OP/EDMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed reading the article in last month’s issue about the prom dress Facebook groups (“Facebook prevents fashion faux pas,” p. 14). I really like the concept of sharing pictures of prom dresses with other girls to get every-one more excited about prom and to ensure that each girl has a unique dress on her special night. I definitely think that I will participate in groups like that one when I am preparing to go to prom as a junior and senior.

I also think that another way to avoid having a fashion faux pas when go-ing to prom is to make your dress really special and unique. It’s also a good idea to try going to smaller stores that may be less popular. These small dress shops are sure to have different styles and colors that would not be found anywhere else. And also, it is a good idea to keep in mind that it doesn’t mat-ter what dress you wear to prom, it matters how much fun you have!

I would really like the Facebook group to continue next year, so that girls can keep benefiting from the positive feedback and insurance against future fashion faux pas.

Maddie SmallSophomore

cated to them, while the other six continents—sans North America, of course—receive no such treat-ment.

This is not the teachers’ fault—they do a fantastic job teaching the material—but the fault of Amer-ica’s educational system, which tends to focus its gaze only on the West. Nonetheless, we should make efforts to raise awareness for conflicts that are outside of the Western spectrum.

A change in Conestoga’s cur-riculum may serve as that vital step forward. The vaguely titled “World History” course is replac-ing World Cultures next year. Whether this new course, which will have an AP level available, will provide a more ignorant or more in-depth look at current af-fairs in lesser-known countries is yet to be seen. I certainly hope it’s the latter.

It’s up to us, and those who will are devising the new curricu-lum, to utilize our curiosity and resources in order to take a step forward into the rest of the world, lest we continue the ignorance by shrugging the other five continents off of our shoulders.

As students, we must rely on our own power to explore the world around us by using the library, the Internet and other resources in order to escape the “West-only” trap set up by the media.

The sooner we learn about our world’s forgotten problems, the sooner we can help solve them. Greed and hatred may have started these conflicts, but ignorance per-petuates them. Only with attention comes action and it’s our job to make sure that our attention is distributed fairly.

It’s nobody’s duty to recognize and solve every problem in the world but it is our duty to stay informed about the problems plaguing the world on all sides of the seas.

The media, as well as classes in school, can serve as useful tools to connect us to what’s going on, but unless we recognize that con-flicts exist beyond the media and educational spotlight, we leave the rest of the world to wither in the shadows.

K.C. McConnell can be reached at kmcconnell@stoganews.com.

2011 has been anything but a slow news year. In the past six months, our world has been set afire by riots in the Middle East, rocked by a deadly earthquake in Japan, dazzled by the splendor of a royal wedding and surprised by the death of the terrorist Osama bin Laden.

None of these events was by any means trivial, yet I cannot say that they were entirely worthy of the media coverage that they received.

While crowds of people gath-ered to see Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding, some-where, in a dark and distant region of the Congo, far from the spot-light of tonight’s news, gunshots were fired and whole villages were burned to the ground in a fray of violence that could turn the stron-gest stomach.

The conflict in the Congo has ravaged central Africa since 1998. The fighting and poverty contin-ues to destroy 45,000 lives each month, despite the fact that the war is deemed to be officially over.

The Congo isn’t the only trag-edy that’s ignored either—the conflict in Darfur did not just simply evaporate when the media attention did.

Perhaps America has no eco-nomic or political interest in any of these conflicts. Perhaps the peo-ple affected by these struggles are just not like us. Perhaps America and its media outlets are rather self-centered—if it doesn’t affect us, why should we care?

Ethnocentrism reigns, even within the confines of our own school. While we dedicate exten-sive study on the continents of North America and Europe, the rest of the world is lumped into one course taught freshman year, titled World Cultures.

It seems more than a bit unfair that the Western countries of Europe get an entire course dedi-

Turning our gaze toward non-Western ways

PAGE 11THE SPOKE

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed reading the article on the Japan power plant crisis (“Nuclear di-saster in Japan awakens concern,” p. 3). It was very well written and helped me understand the problems Japan and the world are facing. I, of course, had heard all about the radiation leakage but I never quite understood exactly how it had been caused. This article explained the problem really well.

It sounds like the power plant in Limerick will be able to withstand a natural disaster, if one were ever to occur there. The community surround-ing the plant might feel more comfortable if a government official were to inspect the plant and give approval. Companies have lied plenty of times be-fore and a government inspection would put many families at ease, includ-ing worried families in our community. I think we’re all beginning to realize how greatly we would be affected if something were to happen to that plant. This article really raised awareness about that.

Jess EdwardsFreshman

To the Editor

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

K.C. McConnellNews Editor

Letters Policy

Go online to comment on our

articles

.comstoganews

What are you agitated about? Do you have

an opinion about something we’ve

published? The Spoke will print letters of general interest to

the student body and community. Signed

letters under 200 words may be submitted to the editorial board. Email us at spoke@stoga.net.

FeaturesMONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” meaning to unite. The ancient practice of yoga seeks to do just that –unite the body, mind and spirit. Students looking

to escape the stresses of high school or just stop and take a breath have numerous options for where to lay their mat.

Stretching out on the Main Line

Bikram Yoga511 Old Lancaster Ave., Berwyn, PA 19312

$15 for a one week introductory pass, $130 for a ten classes, student discount included

Take your yoga routine to a higher degree with Bikram Yoga. This special yoga routine is taught in a room heated to over 100 degrees and is designed to stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons so that oxygen-rich blood � ows throughout the body. The classes are 90 min-utes and involve 26 di� erent poses.

“The heated environment not only blasts cal-ories, but it also makes you sweat out all of the toxins harming your body,” junior Abby Freed said. “When I’m practic-ing Bikram, I have more energy, I’m always in a great mood and I have a positive outlook on life.”

Paoli Library18 Darby Rd., Paoli, PA 19301

$15 for a ten week session

Participating in yoga classes at the Paoli Library is a great way to experience yoga in a more casual setting. For only $15,

students can exercise their mind and body for an hour and a half on Wednesday afternoons. The session meets

once a week from March 16 to May 18 in a small room in the library.

“It’s nice that the class is so small because it can adjust to what kind of yoga we want to do,” sophomore Maya Jankowska said. “We’ve gotten to do heat yoga, � ow yoga, and other forms too.”

Verge Yoga250 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, PA 19087

$14 for a single class, $120 for ten classes, student discount included

Conestoga parent Cara Bradley opened Verge Yoga in 2004 and has worked with all di� erent types of athletic groups, from the Villanova mens’ basketball and football teams to Con-estoga’s State Championship girls’ soccer team. Verge Yoga o� ers a variety of yoga and meditation classes

for athletes and non-athletes alike. “What we really try to do at Verge is help people

stabilize themselves, both physically and mentally,” Bradley said. “We want to open up this practice of

ancient yoga to all types of bodies.”

Upper Main Line YMCA 1416 Berwyn-Paoli Road, Berwyn, PA 19312

Classes are included with membership—$39 per month for students

For an inexpensive and conve-nient way to relieve stress, the yoga classes at the Upper Main Line YMCA are available almost every

day at various times. The o� erings vary, with more than six types of yoga o� ered during a typical week. No need to sign up—just arrive with or without a mat and enjoy a strenu-ous yet relaxing workout.

“It’s a pretty � exible schedule, no pun intended,” junior Sarah Stern said. “You don’t have to be a part of one class. It’s free with membership.”

Merge mind, bodyAthletic appeal

Bringing the heat

Reporting | Emily Omrod and Natalie West

511 Old Lancaster Ave., Berwyn, PA 19312

$15 for a one week introductory pass, $130 for a ten classes, $15 for a one week introductory pass, $130 for a ten classes,

Take your yoga routine to a higher degree with Bikram Yoga. This special yoga routine is with Bikram Yoga. This special yoga routine is taught in a room heated to over 100 degrees and is designed to stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons so that oxygen-rich blood � ows throughout the body. The classes are 90 min-throughout the body. The classes are 90 min-

“The heated environment not only blasts cal-ories, but it also makes you sweat out all of

Participating in yoga classes at the Paoli Library is a great way to experience yoga in a more casual setting. For only $15,

students can exercise their mind and body for an hour and students can exercise their mind and body for an hour and a half on Wednesday afternoons. The session meets

once a week from March 16 to May 18 in a small room in the library.

“It’s nice that the class is so small because “It’s nice that the class is so small because it can adjust to what kind of yoga we want to do,” sophomore Maya Jankowska said. “We’ve gotten to do heat yoga, � ow yoga, and other forms too.”forms too.”

Conestoga parent Cara Bradley opened Verge Yoga in 2004 and has worked with all di� erent types of athletic groups, from

estoga’s State Championship girls’ soccer team. Verge Yoga o� ers a variety of yoga and meditation classes

“What we really try to do at Verge is help people stabilize themselves, both physically and mentally,”

Bradley said. “We want to open up this practice of

1416 Berwyn-Paoli Road, Berwyn, PA 19312

Classes are included with membership—Classes are included with membership—

vary, with more than six types of vary, with more than six types of yoga o� ered during a typical week. No need to sign up—just arrive with or without a mat and enjoy a strenu-ous yet relaxing workout.ous yet relaxing workout.

pun intended,” junior Sarah Stern said. “You don’t have to be a part of one class. It’s free with membership.”one class. It’s free with membership.”

Bringing the heat A � exible schedule

FEATURESFEATURESMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 15THE SPOKE

Kelly Benning & Sophia PonteStaff Reporters

Honor, dedication, service and hours of hard work are just some of the attributes that the prestigious title of Eagle Scout embodies. Four Con-estoga students are, or soon will be, members of an exclusive group that once accepted Neil Armstrong, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama.

The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest possible title in the Boys Scouts of America and only about five percent of Boy Scouts reach this level. Achieving the status of Eagle Scout can open many doors, including several scholarship op-portunities.

“It’s the pinnacle of achieve-ment in Boy Scouts,” said freshman Matt Holtzer, who is on the road to becoming an Eagle Scout.

To earn this award, the scouts must complete 21 merit badges and lead an extensive service project. Several students have accomplished this goal, including sophomores Alex Wilson and Michael Bennett.

Students strive for honor, prestige as Eagle ScoutsWilson completed his Eagle

Scout project in April. For his proj-ect, Wilson’s goal was to improve conditions for handicapped users at the Field of Dreams, a baseball and softball complex for the Berwyn-Paoli Area Little League.

“They have these three handicap access ramps but they were built quite a while ago so for my project I ripped off all the floor boards and put new composite ones in,” Wilson said.

On top of completing the construction aspect of the project, Wilson was also in charge of gathering volunteers and acquiring all the supplies needed for the ramp. Wilson said that he personally spent about 40 hours working and estimates that the total time that the volunteers worked was approximately 250 hours.

“Getting everybody to work together to get the end goal accom-plished was a bit of a challenge,” Wilson said.

Sophomore Michael Bennett par-

ticipated in the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project to earn his Eagle Scout title. The purpose of the project is to collect and preserve first-hand accounts of United States war veterans and to teach future generations of Americans about the sacrifices and realities of war.

Bennett filmed interviews with

ten war veterans, and then converted the interviews to DVD format and submitted the finished product to the Library of Congress archives. Bennett said that earning his Eagle Scout award took hours of hard work but represented a significant accomplishment.

“I grew up a lot during that proj-ect,” Bennett said. “I really had a fulfilling experience.”

Junior Ben Levin is in the process of becoming an Eagle Scout and said that he is motivated to earn the title because of the prestige that comes with it.

“It’s an accomplishment because only [a few of the Scouts] make it, so that’s only [about] a thousand a year,” Levin said.

Levin and his family are regular visitors to Jenkins Arboretum and Levin said that he wanted to be more involved in helping the non-profit organization. His 140-hour service project was weeding the Arboretum.

“It seemed like [the Arboretum] had a lot of work to do so I took it from there,” Levin said.

The project took several months of planning and Levin devoted four days to weeding the area. The Arboretum greatly benefitted from his efforts and Levin said that the

project significantly impacted him as well.

The best part “was at the end, just seeing everything and all the work that was put into it,” Levin said. “Every time we drive past that area I’ll be like, ‘I did that.’”

Levin said that he believes that the hardest part about the project

was not the workload but the leadership and cooperation involved.

“Everyone would show up but a lot of them would want to take a lot of breaks,” Levin said. “It was just hard to get everybody working because a lot of the kids in my group were littler.”

Holtzer, who has com-pleted everything needed to become an Eagle Scout except for the proj-ect, finds the most difficult part is the incredible dedication needed to complete the requirements.

“Some of [the service projects] take a lot of commitment and time to finish,” Holtzer said. “Overall, you really have to spend about four or five years in Scouts to really be able to learn everything.”

He agrees with Levin that a show of leadership may be the most prominent attribute necessary for becoming an Eagle Scout.

“When you start out as a new scout, there’s a lot of ranks and for each one you have to display a new level of skill and a new level of merit badges,” Holtzer said. “It’s just signifying that you have to take a leadership position.”

In addition to the life skills that becoming an Eagle Scout has given him, Holtzer said that he will ben-efit from the process for the rest of his life.

“You can say it for the rest of your life. You can go up to someone who’s 30 or 40 and say, ‘I’m an Eagle Scout,’” Holtzer said. “It’s just a big thing to say.”

Sophia Ponte can be reached at sponte@stoganews.com.

MICHAEL BENNETT

MATT HOLTZER

AL

EX W

ILSON

“I grew up a lot dur-ing that project. I

really had a fulfilling experience.”

-Sophomore Michael Bennett

Graphic: Margot Field/The SPOKE

BEN LEVIN

FEATURES MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 16THE SPOKE

Hands helping paws: Students care for mistreated or abandoned animals at Main Line Animal Rescue, preparing

them to be adopted into loving homes.

Her name is Princess. She is a pit-bull and her owners abused and eventually abandoned her. Her rescuers believe that she was once a part of a dog-fighting ring.

Despite her dark past and shy disposition, Princess has devel-oped a special relationship with juniors Emily Shertzer and Sara Burns who both volunteer at Main Line Animal Rescue (MLAR).

MLAR, located in Chester Springs, rescues hundreds of abandoned animals and dogs from puppy mills. They strive to provide a home for as many animals as they can and prepare the animals to be adopted into permanent homes as soon as possible.

The MLAR helps many ani-mals with special needs, and pro-vides necessary medical care to all of their pets. After the animals are adopted, however, the MLAR continues to feel responsible for the animal and will take it back under their wing if the family cannot care for it anymore.

“The main goal is to provide a very high, happy standard of living for the animals and also to provide some sense of normalcy,” Burns said.

To do this, MLAR has vol-unteers socialize the animals. Because many of the rescued ani-mals were abused or mistreated in

Reporting by Kelly Benning | Photos by Karolis Panavas

some way, they are often overly aggressive or shy. Temperamental issues like these must be resolved in order to find the animals a lov-ing home.

The opportunity to work with a wide variety of animals appealed to sophomore Anna Perme, who is currently in training to become a volunteer for MLAR. She was motivated to join the cause be-cause of the shelter’s support for animal rights.

“I think that people should treat animals with as much re-spect as they treat their neighbor,” Perme said.

Shertzer and Burns travel to the rescue every Sunday to take dogs for walks, play with the animals, pet them and generally show them lots of affection, often something with which they are completely unaccustomed.

“By going to the shelter you get to see so many types of dogs and types of cats that you really just get a better appreciation for animals in general and a better understanding of their behavior,” Burns said.

Kelly Benning can be reached at kbenning@stoganews.com.

Left: Burns and Shertzer prepare to walk an older dog that lives in the clinic. Main Line Animal Rescue provides medical care to all animals in addition to rescuing pets and providing adoption services.

Above: One of the clinic employees takes a rescue dog for a walk.

Far left: Juniors Sara Burns and Emily Shertzer care for a dog after eye surgery. Burns and Shertzer volunteer in the clinic in addition to caring for and socializing the pets in the kennel that are up for adoption.

Left: One of the dogs peeks out of the window in the clinic office.

FEATURESMONDAY,

JUNE 6, 2011PAGE 17

THE SPOKE

Shwetha SudhakarSta� Reporter

One will fl y nine hours and ar-rive jet-lagged. Most will give up their cherished summer vacations. All of them will embark on the trip of a lifetime to pursue opportunities around the world.

Seniors Michelle Squitieri and Ellen Piehl will be attending univer-sities overseas, while seniors Kelsey Frandsen, Priyanka Kapadia, Sabrina Butt, Marc Gessaroli and Mei Guo will earn their college diplomas in Canada. By attending a foreign uni-versity for their entire college educa-tion, they chose to further broaden their knowledge of the world and immerse themselves in an entirely different culture.

Squitieri will attend Franklin Col-lege, a liberal arts school in Lugano, Switzerland. Squitieri’s decision to attend Franklin arose out of a desire to experience life in other parts of the world.

“I’m looking forward to learning about other cultures, seeing the world through everyone else’s eyes, travel-ing and just learning through different people,” Squitieri said.

For Squitieri, European schooling is not new. Her experience of living in and attending school in Germany during her junior year introduced her to the benefi ts of studying abroad. Her exposure to the strict German method of teaching opened her eyes to how

differently she would be educated in her years overseas.

Squitieri foresees diffi culties in attending a foreign college, includ-ing the language barrier. Lugano is located near the Italian border of Switzerland and most of the citizens speak Italian.

“I know some Spanish but I only know a little Italian so there might be a bit of a culture shock,” Squitieri said.

Piehl’s destination is Oxford University in England. She plans to attend Oxford for three years until she gets her degree and will return to the U.S. during Oxford’s six-week-long vacations.

“I’ve always been a fan of Eng-land and I really like the academic environment of Oxford,” Piehl said. “It’s more seminar and lecture based than the U.S. and you have weekly tutorials with your professor.”

Piehl has visited England before as a tourist and she returned for an admissions interview after applying to Oxford with a British version of the common application. She said that she looks forward to the international experience and meeting different people.

However, seniors Frandsen and Butt will remain in North America. Next fall, they plan to attend McGill University, located in Montreal, Canada.

Frandsen’s desire to study Inter-national Relations led her to choose

McGill in the hopes of gaining an in-ternational perspective. After visiting the campus, she immediately took a liking to the academics and setting.

Montreal “has a strong cultural identity,” Frandsen said. “It’s also conveniently close to many activities, such as skiing.”

Butt will also make the drive to McGill, where she was recruited for the crew team. She said that she did not originally plan to study outside of the U.S.

“I had never heard about McGill before and my mom pointed it out to me,” Butt said. “I went to visit and I just fell in love with it.”

However, Frandsen and Butt an-ticipate complications in Montreal as well. The language barrier in pre-dominantly French Montreal will be among the numerous cultural differ-ences they will have to confront.

“I took Spanish all throughout high school and don’t know French,” Frandsen said. “I’m taking French classes this summer to prepare and plan to learn more about Canada.”

Butt also looks forward to study-ing at McGill because of its extensive international community.

“I really look forward to meeting new people as there’s a huge inter-national culture,” Butt said. “Being Pakistani and not knowing a whole lot about my culture, I think [meet-ing people] is going to be the most interesting part of the experience.” For Squitieri, Frandsen, Butt and

GOINGGLOBAL

Ellen PiehlUniversity of OxfordLondon, England

Michelle SquitieriFranklin College

Lugano, Switzerland

Kelsey Frandsen, Priyanka Kapadia, Sabrina ButtMcGill UniversityMontreal, Canada

Marc GessaroliUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouver, British Columbia

Mei GuoQueen’s UniversityKingston, Ontario

London, England Montreal, Canada

Lugano, SwitzerlandLugano, Switzerland

London, England Montreal, Canada

Piehl, choosing to work toward their college diplomas in such a different environment will undoubtedly make them homesick. Butt said she will miss American television shows and differing vacation schedules will make visiting their families harder than usual. All of the seniors will experience diffi culties in adjusting to foreign languages and customs but

said that they are still looking forward to a fulfi lling and enjoyable college experience.

“I might have to start using British phases such as queue and jumper and driving on the left side of the road,” Piehl said.

Shwetha Sudhakar can be reached at ssudhakar@stoganews.com.

“I took Spanish all throughout high school and don’t know French,” Frandsen said. “I’m taking French classes this summer to prepare and

Butt also looks forward to study-ing at McGill because of its extensive

“I really look forward to meeting

However, Frandsen and Butt an-ticipate complications in Montreal as well. The language barrier in pre-dominantly French Montreal will be among the numerous cultural differ-

“I took Spanish all throughout

Ellen PiehlUniversity of OxfordLondon, England

Lugano, Switzerland

experience diffi culties in adjusting to foreign languages and customs but

“I took Spanish all throughout high school and don’t know French,”

Greetings From...

Michelle SquitieriFranklin College

Lugano, Switzerland

Michelle Squitieri

Lugano, Switzerland

Come September, six seniors will join more than 800,000 American undergraduate

students who study in foreign countries each year.

Photos courtesy colleges’ respective websites

MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

FEATURESPAGE 18THE SPOKE

MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

FEATURES

The Spoke: How long have you been teaching German?M.H.: Since 1974.

TS: What do you like most about being a foreign lan-guage teacher?MH: I like the diversity. It allows you to pretend that you’re a science teacher some days and a history teacher other days. The culture is so variable.

TS: How did you learn Ger-man?MH: It is my second lan-guage but only sort of. My parents both spoke German as children. However, they didn’t try to teach me German. They spoke it when I wasn’t supposed to understand what they

were talking about, which was a very good incentive to learn.

TS: Why should students choose to study foreign lan-guages?MH: They should choose to take languages just because [they] don’t understand how much of their thought pat-tern and how much of the way they think is bound to their language.

TS: What do you like to do in your free time?MH: Theater. I like directing

because you can make your vi-sion of the play come to life. I directed a lot of shows at Con-estoga.

TS: What extracurricular ac-tivities were you involved with during high school?MH: Newspaper. I was copy edi-tor so I got to change everybody’s grammar. [I did] a lot of artwork. I did almost all the posters for any group and backgrounds for concerts.

TS: What did you think you were going to become when you were in high school?MH: I didn’t know. I started out college with three majors—German, Spanish and art. I have taught Spanish as recently as last year. I taught fifth grade FLES for the last three years at Valley Forge Middle School.

TS: What country do you enjoy visiting the most?MH: Germany. I like the bread. It’s pretty too and it does feel like home—I don’t know why, My parents were born here—but Germany feels like home to me.

TS: If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be?MH: Goethe, the German Shake-speare; Rex Stout, an American writer; and Mark Twain, just because he always had something interesting to say.

Marnie Herzfeld

Favorites

Interview by Natalie West. Photo by Karolis PanavasDeutscher Lehrer | German teacher

TS: about being a foreign lan-guage teacher?MH: allows you to pretend that you’re a science teacher some days and a history teacher other days. The culture is so variable.

TS: man?MH:guage but only sort of. My parents both spoke German as children. However, they

was a very good incentive to learn.

TS: choose to study foreign lan-guages?MH: take languages just because [they] don’t understand how much of their thought pat-tern and how much of the way they think is bound to their language.

TS: What do you like to do in your free time?MH:

Movie: “When Harry Met Sally”TV show: “Mythbusters”Book: Anything by Rex

StoutSong: I don’t have one

but I like showtunes.

Quote: “Zwei Dinge sollen Kinder von ihren Eltern

bekommen: Wurzeln und Flügel.”

“Children should get two things from their parents: roots and wings.”

FEATURESMONDAY,

JUNE 6, 2011PAGE 19

THE SPOKE

Shifting into high gear: Students, teachers crazy about cars

Senior Ted Weaver will never for-get the time that he left his cherished manual transmission 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup truck in the hands of a local mechanic. The auto worker left the truck in first gear while on a lift and attempted to start it, sending the truck flying off the lift and into a wall.

Ever since this accident, Weaver does all of the maintenance on his truck himself. He started doing sim-ple oil changes at age ten, with in-struction from his father. Since then, he finds himself always working on something, whether it is his own truck or a friend’s car that is having mechanical troubles.

“When you put enough wrench time into something, there’s an at-tachment to it,” Weaver said. “You care about it and you don’t want other people touching it.”

Car maintenance plays a large role in Weaver’s life, as well as the lives of other students and teachers. For these “gearheads,” restoring and caring for their cars is just as impor-tant as driving them.

Like Weaver, Highway Safety teacher Mike Cangi enjoys getting his hands greasy while working on cars. As a child, Cangi toyed around with bicycles and took apart cars.

David KramerStaff Reporter

Highway Safety teacher Mike Cangi shows off his 1988 Pontiac Trans Am. Cangi and his son started work-ing on the car for his son’s sixteenth birthday, and he said that the project brought them closer together.Rev

Your Engines

He used this knowledge of motors to become closer to his son. For his son’s sixteenth birthday, they began working on a 1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA.

“The project was something that connected us together as father and son,” Cangi said.

Using another Trans Am for parts and referring to a Third Generation Firebird online forum, Cangi and his son perfected their masterpiece. Dur-ing the build, they ran into obstacles, such as a transmission that needed to be reworked.

“There’s always something that [goes] wrong that you have to modi-fy, fix or change in some way,” Cangi said.

Now that the car is finished, Cangi plans to give it to his son for his twenty-fifth birthday. Until then, Cangi enjoys driving it on weekends when the weather is nice.

“When you own a car that has value like this, you don’t beat it,” Cangi said. “You pamper it.”

Sophomore Federico Mosconi takes a different approach to the world of automobiles. He races For-mula 2000 cars in a program called Bertil Roos. Mosconi’s love for rac-ing began while watching Formula 1 races on television. He began rac-ing go-karts and has graduated to the Scandia F2000 cars, which have 160 horsepower and travel at speeds

close to 130 miles per hour. The cars are provided for racers by the Ber-til Roos program and Mosconi and his competitors race them at Pocono Raceway and New Jersey Motor-sport Park.

Mosconi thinks that the program will help him improve as a racer.

“Hopefully, by doing this race se-ries I can enter other series and go from there,” Mosconi said.

Racing Formula 2000 cars at

high speeds, or finally getting a car running after hours of hard work and elbow grease, a love for automobiles is a special bond between people and their machines.

My car is “like a big smile that you can’t get rid of,” Cangi said. “Just to have it, to hear it and to drive it.”

David Kramer can be reached at dkramer@stoganews.com.

high speeds is a dangerous sport with little room for error. Since he started, Mosconi has been involved in one low-speed crash, resulting in only a broken suspension.

I “feel comfortable in a car be-cause I’ve been in one and I’ve been doing higher speeds,” Mosconi said. “I think racing is great training for ev-eryday driving because it shows you how quickly things can go wrong.”

Whether it is reaching incredibly

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

SportsMONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

Boys lacrosse: Jake ScottYears Playing: 10

For the first time in four years, the boys’ var-sity lacrosse team selected a freshman to help lead them to the state playoffs. Freshman Jake Scott, who serves as one of the team’s three at-tackmen, said that he was honored to practice and compete with the team this year.

“I’ve learned a lot this season,” Scott said. “I’m excited to improve more over the next few years.”

According to Scott’s coaches, the team looks forward to his continued success. Head coach Brian Samson said that Scott has handled himself well on the team this year.

“It’s hard being the only freshman,” Sam-son said. “You have to have a certain maturity to make it work.”

Cross country: Shannon SweeneyYears playing: 1

When freshman Shannon Sweeney signed up to run cross-country this fall she had no idea that she would be so successful.

“I’ve been running for all of my life but I just started cross country to stay in shape,” Sweeney said. “I didn’t know that I was going to be that good at it.”

This November, Sweeney was the only freshman at Conestoga to qualify for the cross country state championships. She joined seniors James Ferguson and Maddie Klebe in Hershey. to compete with over 600 of Pennsylvania’s top runners. Sweeney placed 118th in the meet.

“I didn’t think I was going to go that far,” Sweeney said. “But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support from the team and my family.”

Girls lacrosse: Abby LordYears playing: 7

Stepping out on the field for her first varsity lacrosse game, freshman Abby Lord recalled feeling intimidated by the older players on the opposing team. Lord is the only freshman on the girls’ varsity lacrosse team, traditionally domi-nated by juniors and seniors.

“I’ve been able to learn so much from my teammates this year,” Lord said. “It’s great that I can look up to them and ask questions about what I need to work on.”

Junior Emily Pillion, who also played var-sity lacrosse her freshman year, said she is very impressed with Lord’s quick adaptation to the team.

“I am so happy that I get to play another year with Abby and I cannot wait to see how she does in the future with her lacrosse career,” Pillion said. “Mark my words, she is going to do big things.”

ROOKIESOF THEYEAR

Boys lacrosse: Jake ScottYears playing: 10

For the first time in four years, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team select-ed a freshman to help lead them to the state playoffs. Freshman Jake Scott said that he was honored to prac-tice and compete with the team this year.

“I’ve learned a lot this season,” Scott said. “I’m ex-cited to improve more over the next few years.”

Scott said he was glad that he got along so well with other members of the squad, despite the age difference, and he wants to continue to play his best for the team over his next four years as a Pioneer athlete.

Reporting by Maddie Amsterdam | Photos by Luke Rafferty

Boys tennis: Brian Grodecki Years playing: 10

Even after dominating the varsity third singles match at the PIAA team state championships and walking away

with the state title, freshman Brian Grodecki said the high-light of his season was getting to know his teammates.

“Winning states was great,” Grodecki said. “The best part was that I had my teammates behind my back. I felt like there was more on the line because I didn’t want to let them down.”

Grodecki competed in the varsity third singles, only losing one match all season. He won several key matches in district and state playoffs, making a significant contribution to the team’s 21-0 record.

Boys swimming: Alex Schon Years playing: 11

Freshman Alex Schon has been swimming competitively since he was six years old, but he said that only the team at ’Stoga has such close bonds

between teammates. Schon was one of the four freshmen boys at Conestoga to compete at the dis-

trict meet this winter. He competed in the 100 meter butterfly event and said that he was pleased with his finish. Although the ’Stoga swim season ended in March, Schon continues to swim and train all year round at the Upper Main Line YMCA (UMLY).

“Swimming never ends,” Schon said. “UMLY is fun, but I can’t wait to swim for ’Stoga again next year.”

Girls lacrosse: Abby LordYears playing: 7

Stepping out onto the field for her first varsity lacrosse game, freshman Abby Lord recalled feeling intimidated by the older players on the opposing team. Lord is the only freshman on the girls’ varsity lacrosse team, which is traditionally dominated by juniors and seniors.

“I’ve been able to learn so much from my teammates this year,” Lord said. “It’s great that I can look up to them and ask questions about what I need to work on.”

Girls softball: Monica Hood Years playing: 8

The only freshman on the varsity squad, Monica Hood said that her teammates made the

age difference seem insignificant.My teammates “were really nice and welcom-

ing and made me feel like I was a part of the team,” Hood said. Of the varsity team’s many achievements, Hood said that the

highlight of her season was when the girls came from behind to win their game on senior night.

Cross country: Shannon SweeneyYears playing: 1

When freshman Shannon Sweeney signed up to run cross country this fall, she had no idea that she would be so successful.

In November, Sweeney was the only freshman at Conestoga to qualify for the cross country state championships. She joined se-niors Maddie Klebe and James Ferguson in Hershey to compete with more than 600 of Pennsylvania’s top runners. Sweeney placed 118th in the meet.

“I’ve been running for all of my life but I just started cross country to stay in shape,” Sweeney said. “I didn’t know that I was going to be that good at it.”

A talented class of freshmen athletes start strong in their careers as Pioneers

SPORTSMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

PAGE 21THE SPOKE

Jenna SpoontSta� Reporter

Liz Costello, a 2006 Conestoga graduate, has a decision to make: whether or not to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials. Ever since winning the Cross Country Individual State Championship title in her senior year at ’Stoga, her career as a runner has transformed her into a track legend.

When Costello joined the Cones-toga track team her freshman year, she originally ran as a sprinter, but head coach Ryan Comstock convinced her to become a distance runner.

“I’ve always wondered what it was exactly but I saw something in her early,” Comstock said. “Before she became really good, I kept telling her, ‘You’re going to be in the big time, you’re going to be elite.’”

After graduating from Conestoga in 2006, she attended Princeton Uni-versity, where she ran track and cross country. Costello currently attends graduate school at the University of Tennessee, where she and her coach are considering having Costello com-pete in the Olympic trials.

“As long as I feel like there’s more

improvement to be made and I am still healthy and mentally engaged with continuing my career in track, then who knows?” Costello said. “I’ll just keep trying to get to new levels.”

At ’Stoga, Costello has become an inspiration for runners who aspire to take their talent to the next level.

“She’s such a high caliber runner that everyone strives to be at the same level she was at,” senior track sprinter Tamzin Ellerbeck said. “She’s basi-cally a legend of track.”

Costello and Comstock both agree that the Conestoga track and fi eld pro-gram successfully prepares runners for college-level training.

“In no way do I feel overrun com-ing out of high school and into the college scene,” Costello said.

Despite having a rocky transition between Princeton and the University of Tennessee because of an injury to her Achilles tendon, Costello was able to come back strong. In her fi rst race at the University of Tennessee, Costello broke a 26-year record in the ten kilo-meter race; her time for the event was 33 minutes, 25.66 seconds.

“I’ve always thought of Costello as a strong woman,” track coach Leashia

Rahr said. “Confi dence is the essence of her.”

Costello said that the highlight of her high school track career were the annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia. This April, Costello ran in the Penn Relays for the University of Tennes-see’s distance medley relay, where the team placed second.

“What made [the Penn Relays] special was that it was in my home-town,” Costello said. “It was just one big family reunion.”

Four weeks later, Costello won the fi ve kilometer and ten kilometer races at the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championship.

At the culmination of Costello’s college career, she will have degrees in chemical and environmental engi-neering, but she said that running will always be a part of her daily life.

“I will always use [running] to keep myself in good health,” Costello said. “It also is a great way to clear my mind, and I’m sure my competi-tive streak will not die even when I conclude my track career.”

Jenna Spoont can be reached at jspoont@stoganews.com.

On the fast track: Graduate may race in Olympic trials

Graduate Liz Costello crosses the fi nish line to win the 2005 Cross Coun-try Individual State title as a senior. She continued on to race in college.

Lax coaches lead team to possible state title repeatTracy CookSta� Reporter

’Stoga’s lacrosse team has dealt successfully with many challenges, but a major part of their recent suc-cess has not varied: the tried and true coaching staff. Head coach Brian Samson is currently looking to defend the Pioneers’ three-time state playoff run and the 2010 state championship title.

Samson is in the midst of his tenth year as head coach of the team. Along with Samson, assistant coach-es Brody Bush and Craig Gratton bring years of coaching and playing experience, both at high school and college levels.

“I think the one thing I’m most proud of is putting together a great coaching staff and a good culture,” Samson said. “I’ve surrounded my-self with the best people. Coach Grat-ton and Coach Bush are awesome. They have so much knowledge and passion. We would like to think that our leadership carries over onto the fi eld.”

Collectively, the three coaches boast an impressive resumé. Samson was a defensive standout at Radnor High School and went on to play at

Georgetown University before taking the job at Conestoga. Fifth year assis-tant coach and defensive coordinator Gratton was also a defensive standout during his years at Harriton High School and then went on to play at Dennison University.

On the offensive end, the Pioneers are led by Brody Bush, who was an All-American at Penncrest High

School before he was drafted by both the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse.

However, success did not come to the team instantly. Samson said that it has taken time to reach the point that the team is at now.

“When I fi rst started, the goals were to build the best team possible, to work toward winning a Central

Photo courtesy Ryan Comstock

League championship, compete at a high level and to win champion-ships,” Samson said.

Senior defenseman Bradlee Lord said that he recognizes the advantages that Conestoga lacrosse has over other teams because of the coaching staff.

“We tend to practice like a col-lege team, with fast paced drills and

situational things like six-on-six or five-on-five,” Lord said. “We’ll do full fi eld scrimmages, lift before practice, watch fi lm and analyze our games after we play.”

Samson, who is very modest about his success with the team, attributes most of the achievements to the “humble, hard-working and confi -dent” team of boys playing for him.

Bush, however, credits the team’s success to Samson’s commanding presence both on and off the fi eld.

“Samson is a great lacrosse coach and an even better man,” Bush said. “He is a player’s coach who is well-liked by all.”

Refl ecting on his time coaching at ’Stoga, Samson said he knows that each team is different, but his main goal for the program is to continue to improve with the current team.

“We try to focus on the journey of every season and not necessarily where you start but where you fi n-ish,” Samson said. “Sometimes that is not measured in wins and losses; sometimes it is just measured in the experience and making progress with the group that you have.”

Tracy Cook can be reached at tcook@stoganews.com.

Head coach Brian Samson gives his team a pep-talk during the game on June 1 against Cumberland Valley. The boys won the game 15-3 and are now advancing to the state tournament quarterfi nals.

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

SPORTS MONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

G01GUR

Abby PiochCo-sports editor

ƒ

Television seasons of “30 Rock”

Days until summer break ends

PAGE 22THE SPOKE

3

Days until fall sports

pre-season begins69

With spring sports ending soon and the summer months—thankfully—quickly approaching, athletes are going to have much more free time where they will undoubtedly be tempted by ever-inviting couch cushions and the hilarity of unlimited episodes of “30 Rock” available on Hulu.com.

But summer can’t only be about relaxation, espe-cially not if we, as student-athletes, expect to have a successful fall sports season. Conestoga has a tradition of athletic excel-lence. To ensure that this reputation con-tinues, it is up to our athletes to take charge of free time in the summer. If we wish to have successful results, we need to put time and effort into reaching our goals.

Besides, I assure you that, contrary to what you may believe, sitting around watching “30 Rock” all summer is eventu-ally going to get dull. And, after sitting in class for more than nine months, you’re probably going to need the Vitamin D that you get from exercising outside.

Everyone, athlete or not, should listen to legendary football coach Vince Lombardi because applies to the entire realm of ex-ercise: “Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged by only one thing—the result.”

If we wish to have successful results, we have to put time and effort into earn-

ing them, even when we’re on summer vacation.

It is not, however, imperative to train like a professional athlete, such as Roy Halladay, who begins training before Conestoga’s warning bell at 5:45 a.m. every morning.

I am encouraging everyone to work

“Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged by

only one thing-the result.”-Vince Lombardi

Going the worthwhile extra milehard this summer and to strive, strain and stretch for victory in the upcoming fall sports seasons by using the potential of the summer to its fullest.

You cannot expect to peak in the fall if you don’t put in the effort over the summer. You cannot expect to succeed if you don’t work your hardest, even when others may be taking a break. And you cannot expect to win if you don’t give it your all.

My advice is not just directed toward fall athletes. Even if you play in the spring or winter, you still need to be gearing up and preparing for your season.

So this summer, I want to challenge ev-eryone to challenge them-selves. Whether you are a star athlete or not, don’t slack off this summer. Take advantage of the time away from school and focus on improving yourself and getting exercise.

Wake up half an hour earlier to go running. Stay and swim a few more laps

after practice is over. Take a little time out of your vacation to do some crunches.

Set a new goal for yourself, and truly go that extra mile this summer. Follow the Nike mantra and just do it.

A b b y P i o c h c a n b e re a c h e d a t apioch@stoganews.com.

8 Fall sports teams at

Conestoga

Age Roy Halladay began base-ball training

60Recom-mended

minutes of daily exer-

cise

All statistics as of June 6.

Just for kicks:

Tina Pan/The SPOKE

SPORTSMONDAY,JUNE 6, 2011

Practice makes perfect: ’Stoga teams hard at work

PAGE 23THE SPOKE

Q: Why did you pick Lehigh?

A: I’m interested in engineering and it is a good engineering school.

Q: If you could be in the stands of any crew race in history, what would it be?

A: A historic race I would like to have seen would be the 1964 Olympic race for the men’s eight, raced by Vesper [Boat Club].

Player Profile

Q: In your opinion, what is your great-est accomplishment on the Conestoga crew team?

A: Every year that we’ve raced at the Stotesbury Cup my quad has medaled.

Q: Where have you committed to go to college?

A: I’m going to Lehigh University.

Jack Wright, Men’s Varsity Quad

Q: How long have you been rowing ?

A: I started freshman year.

Q: What inspired you to start rowing and to join the crew team?

A: I wanted to try something different.Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Q: What do you do to prepare for a race?

A: Generally before a race we have to get there two to three hours ahead and so we’ll clean our boat to make sure every-thing is working. There is actually a lot of downtime in between the races. Then we launch an hour before each race to warm up on the water and then take a

three-mile route to the starting line. And then we race.

Q: What is your fondest memory from Conestoga crew?

A: We got third at CSSRAs, which is basically Canadian Nationals. That was pretty cool because we were all sopho-mores and we got third in a varsity race.

Q: What has been the best part about rowing for Conestoga?

A: You meet a lot of interesting people. Definitely when you’re racing and you do well, you really get to see what all your hard work came out to be.

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011 INSIDE

Freshmen athletes show potential

See p. 20

Grad considers Olympic trials

See p. 21

VOlUME 61, NO. 7

.comstoganews Go online for an extended photo gallery from the lacrosse season.

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

Boys lax coaches drive team to success

See p. 21

Setting the pace