Spoke – A News Portal for Conestoga College's Journalism Program

Hardwood takeaways: Austin Ernst-Finnie’s rookie year coaching

Austin Ernst-Finnie giving a postgame interview, following a 67-57 road win over the Forest Heights Collegiate Institute senior basketball team on January 13, 2025. Photo by Anashe Mapuranga/Spoke Online. Austin Ernst-Finnie giving a postgame interview, following a 67-57 road win over the Forest Heights Collegiate Institute senior basketball team on January 13, 2025. Photo by Anashe Mapuranga/Spoke Online. Coming into his first season coaching the Huron Heights senior basketball boys’ … Continued

Conestoga College hosts its final ABC drop-in session of the semester

Conestoga College’s Student Engagement team hosted its final African, Black, and Caribbean (ABC) drop-in session of the semester at the Waterloo campus on March 12, providing students an opportunity to network with their peers and enjoy snacks. The event aimed to foster a sense of belonging among ABC-identifying students. “It was not only limited to ABC-identifying students,” said Esther Hayford, student engagement programmer for inclusion and belonging. “As long as … Continued

VIDEO: Conestoga College celebrates grand opening of new Creative Industries hub

Following months of preparation, Conestoga College held the grand opening for their new Creative Industries (CI) hub. The facility is home to classrooms, lounge areas, workspaces, and the Conestoga College Digital TV network (CCDTV). The investment comes at a time when other post-secondary institutions in the province are slashing Creative Industries programs. As Spoke Online’s Rowen Fisler finds out, Conestoga president Dr. John Tibbits and other important figures in the … Continued

VIDEO: Cambridge grows green with Bee City Seedy Saturday’s return

Cambridge was buzzing with excitement as Bee City Seedy Saturday returned on March 8, 2025, bringing together gardeners, environmentalists, and pollinator advocates for a day of seed swapping, sustainability, and community action at the rare ECO Centre and Slit Barn. The event, held from 10 a.m. to noon at 768 Blair Rd., featured a seed swap, educational displays, and community booths focused on sustainability and pollinator conservation. Attendees exchanged seeds … Continued

Bringing history back to life with restoration of Lower Doon Mill Ruins in 2025

A piece of Kitchener’s history is set to be brought back to life, as plans to restore the crumbling Lower Doon Mill ruins were unveiled at a Heritage Kitchener Committee meeting on Jan. 7. An engineering report presented to the committee outlined the critical need to stabilize the crumbling Lower Doon Mill ruins, which meet criteria for historical and contextual significance. “You can kind of see the irregular property just … Continued

VIDEO: Not just a game: The benefits of esports

Conestoga Esports Hub midway through the Provincial Valorant Tournament held on Sat. March 1, 2025. Photo by Emily McGirr Coaches from Ontario’s secondary schools competing in the provincial Valorant tournament last weekend are passionate about their students’ success. Since they arrived in students’ everyday lives, video games have been seen as a distraction from schoolwork, but these coaches and the esports industry itself are challenging those ideas. According to Statista, … Continued

AUDIO: Galileo Exhibit arrives in Canada for the first time at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo

History and science enthusiasts in Waterloo have a rare opportunity to engage with the groundbreaking work of Galileo Galilei at a traveling exhibit at the Perimeter Institute located at 31 Caroline St N, Waterloo. This is the first time the exhibit will be in Canada. Emily Petroff, the director of external relations at Perimeter Institute says the exhibit was originally curated by an Italian professor based in Paris and has … Continued

Black athletes within the Waterloo Region

A basketball on the Huskies logo of the Huron Heights Secondary School’s school basketball court, taken on Monday November 25, 2024. Photo by Anashe Mapuranga/Spoke Online Growing up, Nyasha Mombeshara tried a variety of sports before sticking to basketball. Mombeshara’s hardwood experience first began when her mother Lorraine signed her up for house league basketball in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2005. After that experience, a love for the game that would … Continued

Audio: Conestoga College to open new student residence across from downtown Kitchener campus

Conestoga College sign surrounding the 22 Fredrick St. student residence building on Feb. 2, 2025. Photo by Victoria Jarvis / Spoke Online Conestoga College addresses the shortage of student housing in downtown Kitchener by opening a new student residence early next year, located directly across from its downtown Kitchener campus. “We try our best to provide as many beds as we can to our student population across all campuses,” says … Continued

Are GMOs really GM-Nos?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been at the centre of global health debates for decades. While many scientists have stated that modern GMOs are a scientific breakthrough capable of solving hunger and malnutrition, many independent environmental organizations such as those found within Greenpeace argue that GMOs have not been researched thoroughly enough to understand their impact on the environment and human health. Nobel Laureate Sir Richard Roberts, a molecular biologist … Continued

From clippers to confidence: A place to become

The sound of clippers hums softly in the air, a familiar rhythm as each haircut becomes a quiet act of self-creation. Beneath the warm glow of vintage lights, identities are shaped as gently as the hair falling to the floor, with each snip revealing more of the person beneath. In this space, it’s not just hair being cut – it’s the barriers, fears, and weight of judgment, left behind in … Continued

How skating brings Waterloo students and families together during winter isolation

As winter sets in, a season known for its isolation, Waterloo’s families and students find warmth in an unexpected place: on the rink. “I probably hadn’t skated for like 20 years,” said John, a father skating with his son at Kitchener City Hall rink. John spent his early adult years building his career, which kept him away from skating and some family activities. However, last year, his son, who is … Continued

VIDEO: Winterloo 2025 Offered a fun-filled day of games and entertainment after last year’s weather challenges

Photo by Cornelius Ejimogu/Spoke Online. Held on Jan. 25, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Winterloo, an annual cold-weather celebration in the heart of Waterloo brought people together to embrace the winter season in full force. Goreti Cardoso, a festival and event specialist at the City of Waterloo explained how the weather plays a significant role in attendance. For example, last year, the event was limited to the Waterloo Public … Continued

How Aidan Ruston, aka AJ, built a music empire in Waterloo with ‘The Kitchen KW’

Aiden John Rustin, known to many as AJ, lost himself in the rhythm of his own making. Stretching his arms toward the amplifier, a gentle smile tugged at his lips, a quiet acknowledgment of the music’s power to speak what words could not. It was around 10 p.m at The Kitchen KW studio as the scene unfolded. “The location that we’re at, they don’t let us make noise until 5:30 … Continued