By Kelly Benning, Staff Reporter

One boy does donuts with his wheelchair in the outfield. Another grins from his coaches’ praise after making a leaping catch for a ball thrown well over his head. Practice for the Challenger Angels Little League team has begun.  

“The Challenger team provides an opportunity for children with all types of special needs to play baseball when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to on the regular Little League teams,” said Vince McAneney, head coach and vice president of the Berwyn-Paoli Challenger League. 

Volunteers from Conestoga work to make the Challenger players’ dreams possible by acting as buddies, helping the athletes field balls and run the bases. Students also announce  games, keep score and run the snack stand.

Senior Clara-Ann Joyce, a  Little League player since elementary school, is the volunteer coordinator for the Challenger team. Joyce began the volunteer program while earning her Girl Scout Silver Award as a freshman. She said that when she realized that the parents of the players were  doing all of the work instead of enjoying the games, she wanted to give the parents the chance to watch their children play.

“It’s gratifying to be able to help someone who might not normally be able to play,” Joyce said. “It’s fun to see how much the kids are enjoying themselves.” 

Junior Erin Pavillard also volunteers every weekend with the Challenger team.

“I actually look forward to Sunday mornings,” Pavillard said. “I look forward to getting up and helping this team out.” 

Pavillard and fellow junior Shannon Martin are two of Joyce’s Little League softball teammates who regularly volunteer with the team. 

“I don’t even consider it volunteering; it’s just something I love to do,” Martin said. “It teaches the kids that if they have a dream, they can continue to play and not let their disability stop them.”

The players are not the only ones benefiting from the program. Parents of Challenger team members recognize the organization’s impact on their children.

“It’s a great way for them to get out, get some exercise and enjoy all the benefits of being on a team,” parent Robert Lynch said. 

“You can tell that it makes their day better—and that’s what it’s all about,” Pavillard said. 

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

This article originally appeared on p. 18 of the June 7, 2010 issue of The Spoke.

By Emily Omrod, Staff Reporter

More than a year ago, in a rowdy Spanish class at Tredyffrin/Easttown Middle School, freshman Niko Torres was loudly disrupting class. Then his father, who also happened to be a district administrator, walked in.

“Everyone was being loud,”  Torres said. “I was being particularly loud and my dad walked in and [started] yelling at everyone, especially me.  He said, ‘Donde está el respecto?’ I was embarrassed in front of the  entire class

Torres’ experience with his father working in the district is not uncommon. Several dozen school district employees, including teachers, administrators and secretaries, have children who attend district schools. For instance, science teacher John Ligget taught his daughter, senior Sarah Ligget, in AP Environmental Science this year.  

“At first, it was really weird,” Sarah Ligget said. 

Eventually, Sarah Ligget said that she grew accustomed to having her dad as her teacher, becoming comfortable enough by May to actually answer questions in class. 

Freshman Cooper Turley had his father, Bill Turley, as a fifth grade math and science teacher at T/E Middle School. 

“It was fun, but there were some challenges at the same time,” Cooper Turley said, adding that his peers would often say that his father gave him a special advantage on quizzes and tests.   

Though Cooper Turley did not always enjoy having his father in the classroom, some students have no problems with their parent being a teacher. Junior Elyse Viviano said that she rarely sees her mom, English teacher Laura Viviano, at school and enjoys the advantage of having a parent who knows the curriculum. 

“When I was a sophomore, it was great,” Viviano said. “She would help me understand if I had a question and couldn’t [ask] a teacher.”

Teachers who are also parents believe that their unusual position has positive and negative qualities. Bill Turley, Cooper’s father, said that he enjoys spending additional time with his children and their friends when he is at work.

“It was an advantage to know a lot of their friends. I [knew] how they liked to learn and what pushed their buttons,” Bill Turley said. 

Working in close proximity to their children can be a challenge for some parents employed by the district. Laura Viviano said that she is careful to allow her children to keep their independence at school.

“They’re going through their typical teenage stuff—I  put up boundaries and let them maintain their own space,” she said.

Emily Omrod can be reached at eomrod@stoganews.com.

This article originally appeared on p. 16 of the June 7, 2010 issue of The Spoke.

By Natalie West, Staff Reporter

Senior Annie Hibbs wanted to disappear when she noticed the 15 other teenage girls clutching their overflowing binders and nervously adjusting their hair.

“I look like a joke,” she thought as she glanced down at her small purse, feeling completely out of their league. When it was her turn to audition, she took a deep breath and realized that her only choice was to be herself and hope for the best.

A week later, Hibbs got a call informing her that her gutsy audition for a role in the movie “Dare” had paid off. She would now be playing Donna, a fictitious girl frequently bullied in her high school. “When I went down to the first day of shooting, I didn’t know who was in the movie or really anything about the movie,” Hibbs said. “I was really dumbfounded by everything that was going on.”

“Dare,” directed by Adam Salky, is an independent film that tells the story of Alexa Walker, a hard-working high school senior who is looking for the opportunity to take risks and learn more about life. Filming for the movie began in Philadelphia in the summer of 2008. Hibbs teamed up with her cast members, who included Alan Cumming, one of the stars of “Spy Kids,” and Emily Rossum, whose previous movies include “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Mystic River,” for the production of the film.

“I was cast in the movie as a featured extra, which is when you’re cast as a part and you have a name, but you don’t say anything,” Hibbs said.

It wasn’t long, though, before Salky approached Hibbs and announced that he’d like to give her some lines.

“I went from a featured extra to an actual character in the movie,” Hibbs said.

After six months of filming, “Dare” was on its way to the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, competing with widely-released movies like “Precious.” It was then released in New York and Los Angeles, and arrived in Philadelphia on Dec. 4 at the Ritz at the Bourse.

Hibbs’ first encounter with real acting began at the beginning of high school, in her theater arts class at Conestoga. She then pursued her interest by enrolling in acting lessons at The Actors Center in Philadelphia, where she was recommended to audition for the part of Donna. Soon after the filming was completed, Hibbs received a phone call that convinced her that she might have a future in acting. The prestigious Screen Actors Guild requested to include Hibbs in its union of actors, a much sought after membership.

With her unexpected and exciting entrance into the world of film, Hibbs has taken her first step on the road to stardom. Hibbs is enthusiastic about being part of the acting world, but is not quite ready to become an addition to its long list of movie stars.

“I really want to continue acting, but as of right now I just want to focus on school and get ready for college,” Hibbs said.

Natalie West can be reached at nwest@stoganews.com.

Appeared originally on p. 15 of The Spoke’s Jan. 12, 2010 edition.

By Lauren Winigrad, Senior Staff Reporter 

Standing on Teamer Field in front of 2,000 of their peers, the marching band stared down the rope at the football team. In a clash of the athletics versus the arts, the marching band emerged triumphant in a homecoming pep rally tug-of-war.

This year, though, the band’s newfound morale extends beyond a simple tug-of-war victory.

The marching band is in high spirits this year because of its new field show, “The Beatles: A Magical Mystery Tour,” custom written to fit the variety of instruments and sound of the ’Stoga marching band.

“I honestly think this was our best show yet,” senior Susie Eichling said.

For the first time, band directors Anthony DiLella, William Seaton and Stephen Eberly decided to enter Band-A-Rama.

Band-A-Rama is a showcase for competition and non-competition high school marching bands held at Marple Newtown High School.

The ’Stoga marching band also performed its field show when their 28-song Beatles tribute was asked to be performed in Hershey.

On Nov. 14, the marching band performed as an exhibition team at Hershey Stadium.

“This was my favorite show because it pinnacled my marching band experience since I led the band,” senior drum major Kurt Van Mol said.

Playing alongside the band were various college bands and the renowned Drum Core International.

“We are very honored to have been asked to perform at this year’s event,” band director Anthony DiLella said. “The marching band has always been a source of pride throughout the school district and community.” 

The band has only one show left, the ABC/IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade. They will perform on Nov. 26 at 8:30 a.m.

By Natalie West, Staff Reporter

Do you remember the days when you would sit at the kitchen table, molding and sculpting Play-Doh to create your favorite animal or food? Senior Tori DiRico and sophomore Meredith DiRico found a way to bring back memories by helping their younger sister enter a Play-Doh creation in an online contest.

When the DiRico family learned of the contest from a friend, they were inspired to try to win the $5,000 prize for their school and a new playroom. Children 10 years old or younger could submit a model of their favorite food and Hasbro, the creators of Play-Doh, would select the best. Tori and Meredith DiRico joined with their 9-year-old sister Rachel and their older sister Erica to create a Play-Doh model.

“We brainstormed a bunch of ideas, and thought that a taco salad would be unique and different,” Tori DiRico said.

Each family member was assigned a part to construct and the end product, “Taco Salad Fiesta,” became a colorful and realistic (though inedible) taco salad.

About a month after the model was submitted, the DiRico family found out that they had made it to the top ten, outperforming around 50 other creations. 

During the competition, the sisters took a few pictures to post on their Facebook group, “Help the DiRicos Win the Play-Doh Contest!”

“We searched Google and through the Internet to see if any of our competition had done the same thing,” Tori DiRico aid. “No one else had a Facebook group.”

The group encouraged friends and family to vote online for the taco salad. By the end of the competition, it gained more than 400 members.

The voting ended on Oct. 31,  and Hasbro notified the contest winners through the mail. Although the DiRicos did not win, they said that the experience brought them closer together.

Natalie West can be reached at nwest@stoganews.com.

By Tim Croner, Senior Staff Reporter

America was shocked in 1957 when “West Side Story,” a musical that recounts the tale of “Romeo and Juliet” to a more modern tune, opened in New York. When a new production arrived on Broadway this year, that shock factor was still there, but not because of the show’s story of a gang-war or cross-cultural romance. This time, audiences were shocked that such a wonderful and beloved show could be translated into such a sterile and lopsided production.

“West Side Story” tells the story of Tony and Maria, two young lovers from completely different worlds. This production’s first signs of weakness come with the two actors chosen to play these star-crossed lovers, who unfortunately come off as anything but. The chemistry between Matt Cavenaugh and Josefina Scaglione (the two lead actors) is almost nonexistent; director Arthur Laurents sloppily tries to cover this up by having them remain attached to each other throughout their scenes. The lack of fireworks between the leads is marginally made up for by how lovely they sound during their duets “Tonight” and “One Hand, One Heart.”

Individually, neither fares better than they do as a pair. Cavenaugh has a pleasant voice, but his lack of stage presence and inability to comprehend the journey that Tony takes throughout the piece makes him difficult to like. Similarly, Scaglione has a lovely soprano voice —if only she could genuinely carry out Maria’s character arc.

Even Karen Olivo, who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Anita, Maria’s best friend, barely registers during the show’s first act. It isn’t until Anita is nearly raped in the second act that Olivo nails the emotionality of the part, a breakthrough that leads her to her powerful rendition of “A Boy Like That.”

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all with this “West Side Story” is its inability to live up to the potential it had. The Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim score is considered by many to be one of the greatest written for musical theater—a view that is, in many ways, valid.  Songs such as “America” and “Tonight” have become a part of American culture, and hearing a full, dynamic orchestra play these songs was one of the production’s few breathtaking moments.  

Any potential for this revival, however, was lost with Laurents’ attempts to modernize it. His integration of Spanish lyrics and dialogue into the show feel misguided, creating an uneven emotional power between the show’s two gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. In fact, the only place where the Spanish felt organic was during the final duet between Maria and Anita, as the melding of two languages is physical evidence of the new, accepting American woman Maria has become.

Laurents, along with choreographer Joey McNeely, even managed to disappoint when it came to the show’s legendary Jerome Robbins choreography. The second act dream ballet has been significantly (and poorly) altered for this production, and much of the choreography has been toned down from its original state. The only scene that comes close to capturing the glory of the initial choreography is “Dance at the Gym,” which is upsetting in a show where dance is as much a part of the narrative as the dialogue.

“West Side Story” is one of the few truly great American musicals. But it is for this reason that the Broadway revival is such a shame: With such fantastic material and the cultural status it has achieved, any professional production of “West Side Story” should be first-rate.

Tim Croner can be reached at tcroner@stoganews.com.

Printed originally on p. 19 of the Nov. 24, 2009 issue of The Spoke