Month: May 2022

Sem DM Raises its Largest Amount Yet

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Sem DM raises over 46,000 this spring (Photo courtesy of the Wyoming Seminary Communications Department)

by Kim Nguyen ’23

Fully in-person, the 10th annual Sem Dance Marathon was held on Saturday, April 9. SemDM is student-run and works with the Children’s Miracle Network to raise money for the local Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. In the upcoming weeks before the main event, many opportunities are held to raise money. The main way to donate is on Sem’s Donor Drive website. On-campus there were bake sales, a dress-down day, and music during lunch. Local businesses also pitched in with Rita’s and Melt Hot Yoga holding fundraisers. 

It was held in the Blue Gym with colorful posters placed on the walls, streamers, and lights strewn. The main event included the four miracle children. Each accompanied by their family they were introduced with a video describing their journey. Kimmie, Martin, Laila, and Emma were all assisted by the Children’s Miracle Network. After the introduction, there were various events like the morale dance, lip sync battles, and Just Dance Battles. There were also more opportunities to donate like raffles or bidding for the chance to pie a teacher in the face. Then there is the bracelet cutting at the end, a more serious event. They are the same bracelets the children wear when they are admitted to Janet Weis. For Mr. Shafer it’s his favorite event saying, “We spend a lot of time having fun, being silly, and celebrating the whole day long. But it’s that moment of silence before it starts, seeing the kids walk around and cut the bands, and hearing our students talk about the real meaning behind the day that makes SEMDM so special and powerful.”

The committee raised a whopping amount of $46,513. While they have been topping their previous amounts each year, almost double was made. When reflecting on the event, Shane Holcombe ‘23 an executive of the Promotion committee, highlighted the energy. “The energy was amazing among the children and the student body. I could see the kids building off the excitement of everyone else. It was my first one when everyone was together.” 

Theater Springs Back

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Senior members of the Spring Workshop (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Ellen Sherry)

by Erica Zhu ’23

Although this year, we were forced to roll back theater performances from the Fall/Winter terms to the Winter/Spring terms, our theater department was in no way ready to let COVID close out the shows for good. What many students love about the acting workshops, though, is that even if musicals and theater and everything in between isn’t a strong suit, they can still make an appearance and show off hidden talents. Described as an “acting recital” where actors train to be better presenters and performers, this year’s Spring Acting Workshop featured nineteen one-act plays and scenes in the Buckingham Performing Arts Center(BPAC) from April 27th to May 1st. 

Everyone involved gave it their all– there was certainly never a lack of prop, costume, or spirit. Directed by our beloved Jason Sherry, Ellen Sherry, and Floyd Bussie, the show went off without a hitch.

“Seeing our Sem stages come alive again with performers filled my soul this year! We had a wonderful run of Footloose and our beloved Acting Workshop featuring so many students on our stages and behind the scenes! The class of 2022 was a big part of the theater department. We are excited for their new paths, but will miss them greatly!” Ellen Sherry, Master of Costumes and Director explained. 

Perhaps the most bittersweet is that of the parting of this year’s graduates who, together, are the faces of both a little over half of our theater department and workshop: Kieran Sherry, Jake Ruderman, Nathaniel Stavish, Lily Qiu, Evan Swartz, Rhianna Lewis, Gram Doherty, Julia Poole, Sophia Galante, Cassidy Rhodes-Aniska, Daniel Irwin, Hayoung Kim, Emily Chen, Ariana Marien, Ian Poole, Jennifer Zemetro, Dominica Delayo, Gigi Ruggiero, and Marshal Curtis will all be setting off for new adventures. Their legacy of acting and smiles, along with words of advice, will never leave us.

“Spring/Winter Workshop is one of the most fun, and rewarding parts of my years at Sem. The Spring Workshop provides a smaller and less intimidating theatre experience for anyone who may be nervous to start acting. You can do anywhere from 1 to 5 scenes, and each one is so different. I was in two scenes, Go to the Light, where I was an overworked facebook obsessed 30 year old, and in a completely different scene I had to restart a conversation every time a bell was rang. If you want to act, but are too nervous to do the Musical, do the workshop. I can guarantee you that it will be so, so fun,” said Julia Poole ‘22

Every evening was filled with the laughter of students and parents who saw familiar faces, in addition to visiting alumni. From the comedy in Citizen Kane(by Kids in the Hall) and The Philadelphia(byDavid Ives), to even the cute, sweet Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(by Charlie Kaufman)and When Harry Met Sally(by Nora Ephron), there was truly something for everyone who loves seeing or being in the theater.

Let’s Dance!

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Dance Company Seniors (photo courtesy of Sem Public Relations Office.)

by Lily Roberti ’24

Wyoming Seminary’s Dance Company’s hard work culminated in three exhilarating nights of ballet, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, and so much more hitting the stage of the Kirby Center of Creative Arts at full force. Two acts chock-full of grand jetés, pirouettes, and smiling faces, Sem put on its forty-first annual dance show, “Let’s Dance!”, under the direction of Mrs. Vojtko. 

The Dance Company’s process to prepare for this marvelous performance started as early as October, 2021. Dance classes began to meet in early fall, a few of them starting to put together choreography for the show. Various genres of dance graced our stage in mid-May. “Higher Ground,” choreographed by Ms. Sipple, was a loud and funky jazz piece that had the audience dying to get up and dance along. “Gershwin Preludes” highlighted six of the company’s most elegant ballet dancers. Their closing piece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” a 1950s city street scene, ended the show with a bang as we saw every member of the company up on stage in various roles like sightseers, shoppers, and society ladies. This selection followed a love story between the wonderfully talented Samantha Barcia ‘22 and Robert Zaloga ‘20 while policeman Gram Doherty ‘22 tried to keep trouble off the streets.

Our very own Dance Company offers a wide range of experience. 43 dancers made up the show this year, including four alumni and four lower school students. From dancers who have been practicing for ten plus years to those who came to us brand new this year, Sem turns away no one who wants to learn a thing or two. Mrs. Vojtko’s patience and dedication can turn a fresh face show ready in mere months. Kara Perzia ‘24 says, “As a new dancer, it takes a lot to be stage ready and can be intimidating when surrounded by lots of experienced dancers. However, everyone has been extremely helpful through this experience and now I can say I am prepared to dance along with everyone else on stage.” The most experienced dancers paved the way for the newbies, offering help with choreography and inspiration whenever needed. 

Not only was “Let’s Dance!” prepared by three talented professionals, Mrs. Bernadine Vojtko, Ms. Linda Sipple, and Mr. Raphael Cooper, but a few choice upperclassmen were also given the opportunity to set four unique pieces. Seniors Samantha Barcia, Jennifer Zemetro, Alyssa Shonk, Sophia Snell, Anna Cabell, and junior Allison Luo received the honor of being chosen as the 2022 student choreographers. Samantha Barcia ‘22 says, “Choreographing was so much fun this year! I got to be on the other side of dancing, and I think it will make me an even better dancer because it will help me understand what my dance teacher needs. I also had so much fun getting to know some of the younger dancers that I don’t always get to interact with!!” From music to choreo to costumes, these six dancers worked exceptionally hard on their masterpieces.

This show took more to put together than a couple rehearsals and some pairs of tights. The Dance Company worked exceedingly hard in the months prior to prepare their material for the KCCA stage. The dedicated teamwork everyone put in was more than worth it. Mrs. Vojtko kindly shares, “We have a wonderful group of dancers who are giving their all as we prepare for the show… With all the challenges that came along with covid, it’s been three years since we’ve been able to open our spring performance to the public.” “Let’s Dance!”, Sem’s 2022 dance show, was a massive success!