Author: Ayza Ali

“Howdy Homecoming”

Posted on by

By Ayza Ali ‘28

Wyoming Seminary’s Homecoming Dance is always one of the most anticipated events of the year; 2025’s event opened up the dance floor for a night to remember. Following an unfortunate Homecoming football game loss, students mustered up their school spirit once again for the dance. Held on October 11, 2025, the dance brought the entire school together for a night of dancing, fun, and memories. With help from both students and faculty, the gym was transformed into a dazzling dance floor. 

The Homecoming Dance turned out to be a success, especially since this year was the first time a dance introduced a theme. The theme, Western Rodeo, added another layer of excitement to the night and made the event more unique and memorable. Although some students weren’t fond of the theme chosen, most were pleased with the idea of having a theme at all. True Blue assisted with the dance preparations and in accordance with the theme, spruced up the gym with Western decorations. From haystacks to a mini photobooth to a giant “Hoco” sign, “the decorations matched the theme perfectly, [creating] a nice vibe in the gym” gushed Sadahlia Poepperling ‘27. Aside from the decorations, many students themselves also embraced the theme by donning cowboy hats and boots to add a Western touch to their outfits. The dance itself had a wonderful turnout, joining the community together for an energetic night.

All this is not to say that there was no room for improvement. The biggest concern students had was with the music. Although most songs matched the mood of the night, students weren’t too fond that each song was played whole, instead of the DJ blending songs together. Eshaal Ahmad ‘26 specifically pointed out,“the songs were fine, but they lasted too long. It wasn’t as enjoyable as previous dances.” Many others had similar opinions and found it hard to engage with the playlist and left the dance floor. Aside from the music, students also found the food selection (pretzel bites, brownies, and cookies) to be a bit unappealing. Eshaal Ahmad ‘26 again, sighed “of course we weren’t expecting a whole meal, but it could’ve been better.” However, the disappointment created by the tunes and finger foods did not overpower general enjoyment; students ultimately left the dance with smiles and memories for life.

Overall, the 2025 Homecoming Dance was a memorable night that brought the Wyoming Seminary community together in a fun and festive atmosphere. Creating themes for dances added a new and exciting element. It’s also very clear that students and faculty put a lot of effort into making the night special. While there were some things that could have been improved, they are small details compared to the success of the event. The night showcased student’s love for school events and set a clear foundation for future dances.

The Sem Spring Play: Sparks Fly in a Snowy Small Town

Posted on by

By Cecilia Pons ’27

There were many magical moments in Almost, Maine, the spring play this year at Wyoming Seminary.  From first loves to the rekindling of an old flame, the characters in the play experienced love in many different ways. Set in the fictional town of ‘Almost’, it illustrated a series of scenes about love and loss. Almost, Maine took a whimsical approach to the ups and downs of romance. While the topics of romance are universal, the origins of the play come from the author’s own life.

 John Cariani, the playwright of Almost, Maine, moved to the town of Presque Isle, Maine, when he was eight years old. He gathered inspiration from both the physical landscape of the town and the emotions of the people who lived there to compose the play.

Sem’s production of the play captured the rural, cozy atmosphere of the town–the stage set up in BPAC was set for winter, and the Northern Lights appeared overhead, usually when sparks flew between two characters. 

The cast was made up of 18 students, ranging from freshmen to seniors. They appeared in pairs or trios throughout 9 scenes, which had different subjects. This vignette model allowed for quick views into characters’ lives, so the audience saw a common theme. However, there were some drawbacks to it for an actor. Laura Olsen ‘27, when asked about any challenges she experienced, said, “The play is made of 8 separate segments, so you don’t have a lot of time [with the character], but there’s a lot packed into the scene. So, you need to make sure to get the character right.” Even if it did make the scene harder to act, the unique genre made the play amusing to watch, since many viewers never witnessed a vignette-style play.

Almost, Maine was held in BPAC, on May 2nd and 3rd at 7:30. Opening night caused different reactions among the players. Laura’s feelings about her first showing of the play were, “It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. People are seeing it, so it’s scary, but [the cast] also gets to introduce them to the play, so it’s exciting!” Nerves are normal, but Kathryn Eidam ‘27 felt slightly different, “I’m ready, my lines are down, and the blocking is solid. [During tech week] we’re just working on the last little wrinkles.” Either way, both actors seemed equally ready to perform: a sign of a good performance.

Society Day ’25

Posted on by

By Michael DeMuro ’27

Society Day is the most anticipated event at Wyoming Seminary. Throughout the school year, it builds up more and more until the day it arrives. As the year progresses, there are different competitions between all four societies, those being Alexandrian, Florentine, Oxonian, and Athenian, to gather points. Some of these competitions can be a food drive, SEM DM, or a pep rally. All these points accumulate over time, setting the stage for the final event: Society Day.

Out of every sports game, every school dance, and every ski trip, all pale in comparison to Society Day, not just in terms of the effort it takes to organize and set up, from both faculty and society leaders, but also in terms of how well it is received by the student body.

Society Day is the last day of school before finals begin. According to Brennan Twardowski ‘10, “Society Day has been around for decades; it went on hiatus from 1992-2005 and has continued every year since it was brought back by the Class of 2005.” While the other small society events set the stage for who wins, Society Day is the ultimate factor because of the sheer number of activities and points that can be won from those activities.

In terms of the process that goes into preparing for society day, the same activities are chosen every year, for example, dodgeball and the dance competition. For the society leaders, the real process is having to organize who does what activities when. In terms of preparation, Jagar Macdonald ‘25 said, “We’ll meet up at somebody’s house, order food, and put together some ideas so we don’t have to rush it.”

When Society Day ends, everyone meets at Nesbitt Stadium for the big reveal of who won. The crowd’s tension is at its highest until finally, the banner drops with wins. Last year, Oxonion won Society Day, and the energy when it was revealed was unprecedented. Every time a society wins, they receive a banner that is hung inside the blue gym. Until this year’s Society Day arrives, all we can do is wait and see who’s on top this year.