Month: May 2022

Accepted Students Day Held on Campus

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Current Sem Students welcome accepted students at Upper School Campus (Photo courtesy of the Wyoming Seminary Communications Dept)

by Olivia Sekel ’24

During the weekend of April 23rd, 2022, Wyoming Seminary came together as a community to welcome newly accepted students. The Upper and Lower School campuses hosted events throughout the day by giving tours, answering questions, and showing the clubs we have to offer. A total of 72 families attended the event to see what it would be like as a student at Sem. 

The families included 8thgrade families, admitted families for next year, accepted families, and prospective families looking to attend the Open House in the fall. A total of 30 clubs represented the school by showing off the sports, extra-curriculars, and academic offerings at Sem. 

Sarah Stewart, the Interim Director of Domestic Admission at the Upper School, organized the day. She said, “After seeing our current students and faculty interacting with our new and prospective families, you realize all of the difficult decisions and long hours of planning are all worth it. We cannot wait to have everyone back together in the Fall for the 2022-2023 school year.” 

At the Upper School, the street of North Sprague was filled with tables for clubs and student  organizations. Another benefit of having students participate in the event is that it provides a sincere  welcome into the Sem community. 

Lauren Finlay ‘23 shared, ” Accepted Students Day was a great experience for everyone involved. [It] went amazing this year, and the Sem community got to see so many new faces! It was really nice to meet potential incoming students, and I think all the students really felt like it brought our community together!” 

What Lunch is Better to Munch At?

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by Charles Cox ’23 and Callista Pham ’23

Have you ever eaten lunch alone? Or, have you not been able to grab a seat because it was so packed? Lunch scheduling is an important part of the Sem community. Therefore, when Covid-19 happened to the world, it even affected little things like our lunch.

Covid-19 has brought many changes to, and one of these changes is the structure to our lunch. The lunch schedule used to be and has now returned to an hour long lunch (community lunch). But, it was changed to 40 minutes intervals with an X and Z section (old lunch). The idea of lunch has been changed for everyone: some prefer the community structure and others the old one.

No one would know that Covid-19 happened. Before the pandemic, the Sem community always had the same lunch system. Due to Covid-19, the school decided to divide lunch time into half in order to protect students. This system turned out to be very helpful to the lunch staff and lines were at an all time low.

Yet, many students were dissatisfied with the idea of not being able to have lunch with their friends. And, the shortened lunch period of 40 minutes made it hard to use lunch as time to do anything else besides eating. This quote from a student shows the positives of the community lunch system and negatives of the old lunch system,  “I like the community lunch because I get to see my friends and get to see everyone. I don’t like the old lunch because sometimes, I didn’t have lunch with my friends and I hate eating alone,” Nadia Saeed, ’23.

The community lunch system offered a great way to spend time with your friends. And, since it is an hour long you would have enough time to meet up with a teacher or do homework. This lunch was called a community lunch since everyone was able to see everyone.

However, this lunch failed to be efficient and made it difficult to find seating.  “I think it’s too much for you guys. The lines are too long and you have to wait too long. And the dining is just jammed up. You can never get seats,” Mrs. Linda Brown, a lunch staff member.

In conclusion, the old lunch helped our Sem community to stop the spread of Covid-19, and it was easier for the lunch staff to do their work. Even with all that said, most of the students still prefer the community lunch since they can meet their friends and have more time to rest.

A Spotlight on Kindness

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2022 students and faculty who were recognized for their kindness

First Row: Ellie Scullion ‘25, Molly Kopetchny ‘24, Paul Stevenson ‘24, Victoria Weirich-Freiberg ‘23, Daniel Irwin ‘22
Second Row: Korina Blades ‘22, Meredith Shafer, History Teacher, Thomas Whitworth, Interim School President, Catie Kersey, History Teacher,
Ford Boock ‘23
(Photo Courtesy Wyoming Seminary Communications Department)

by Helena Prusak ’23

Are you aware of just how much kindness surrounds you? Don’t be alarmed if you cannot answer this question–most people will not be able to. However, there is a club at Wyoming Seminary that can help with an answer. Dude. Be Nice is all about highlighting and celebrating acts of kindness that might not be noticed or appreciated. 

Dude. Be Nice is a nationwide organization that was brought to Sem around six years ago. Claire Stretanski ‘23, a leader of Dude. Be Nice, said, “My favorite thing about Dude. Be Nice is the message. I think it is such a simple message, but it is so important. Kindness is something that people of all ages can learn.” 

The club is constantly active, but every year there is a focus week to highlight the club’s message. This year, Dude. Be Nice Week was from April 25th to April 29th. Each day in the week had a special theme. These themes included Make Someone Happy Monday, Take Care of the World Tuesday, Kind Deed Wednesday, and Teamwork Thursday. Friday wrapped up the week with a closing assembly. 

For this years assembly, awards were given out to students and teachers to highlight kindness that would not otherwise be rewarded. Stretanski said, “I think recognizing kindness is extremely important, especially in a school setting. Schools need something to bring positivity to campus, and recognizing students for being kind is a great way to do that.” Closing out a week that focuses on applauding kindness in the Sem community by giving standing ovations to people who have been especially kind to others reinforces the club’s goal. 

Dude. Be Nice is special because it is one of the only clubs that involves the entire Sem community. Lucy Lew ‘24, the liason for Dude. Be Nice at the Lower School, said, “Because there are some younger kids at the Lower School, we really try to remind kids that kindness doesn’t just stop after this week. It is just simply highlighted!” 

Dude. Be Nice’s message remains consistent between both campuses. Lew said, “The Lower School had the same themes as the Upper School and even some similar activities, such as putting sticky notes up.” When both the Upper School and Lower School are participating in the same activities to promote kindness, the entirety of the Sem community is connected. 

Dude Be. Nice has a strong presence at Sem. The club’s message is infectious and spreads like wildfire across both campuses. Kindness is always present, but it is celebrated, highlighted, and spread by Dude. Be Nice.