Author: Ayza Ali

Wyoming Seminary Girls Soccer

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By Gia Aiello ‘27

As the fall term winds down, it is important to reflect on the various fall sports teams’ achievements. From extremely close games to full swoops, the Wyoming Seminary girls’ soccer team has shown resilience, passion, and most importantly, teamwork. 

This year, the team showcased not only their athleticism but also their ability to overcome challenges and setbacks. All players faced challenges head-on–from tough opponents to rainy weather to balancing academics with sports. Each game proved as a testament to their determination, with every goal and save reflecting countless hours of practice and preparation.

Led by head coach Dr. Gardner, the team began their preseason in mid-August, determined to improve both individually and collectively. Late afternoon drills, early morning practices, and scrimmages pushed players to their limit in the best way possible. Through this time period, the team bonded. “One thing that’s unique to girls’ soccer is we have a really amazing bond that helps us succeed on and off the field,” said senior team captain Emma Butcher.

Several players emerged as key contributors this season, with Ella Stambaugh leading in goals and Gemma Ciravolo making crucial saves as a goalkeeper. “Being the goalkeeper, I get to be on the field while having a unique advantage point and have authority over my teammates in a leadership way to strive for them to be their best selves,” said Ciravolo. Their amazing performances inspired everyone on the team to strive and be their best. Team captains Mirabaai Reitsma and Emma Butcher also inspired everyone to do their best on and off the field. 

One standout moment this season was the back-and-forth game against Hanover Area on October 11th, ending in a 3-2 score. After the previous loss at senior night, everyone was ready to end the season on a win. Ella Stambaugh, a junior and top scorer, scored the winning goal with a mere 2 minutes to spare! The energy was apparent; everyone was cheering from the sidelines to the bench. This was a great game to end our season and advance into the playoffs.

This season would not have been made possible without the continued support from Dr. Gardner, as well as assistant coaches Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Gabriel, who pushed the team to work harder but also have fun while playing. From stretching circles in practice to half-time talks during games, there was always laughter and good vibes. “I feel like we’ve all grown very close. There were a lot of laughs. It was very fun” said Stella Guesto, a freshman starter on the team.

With this chapter of Wyoming Seminary Girls Soccer ending, the team celebrates not just the victories but the amazing memories and friendships made. Here’s to another fantastic year of girls’ soccer and many more to come!

Wyoming Seminary Rowing

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By Simran Sharma ‘27

The Wyoming Seminary rowing team was very excited to welcome associate director of athletics and new head coach, Kathryn Brown, to our community. Coach Kathryn Brown joined assistant coach Peter Froelich this year. As the fall term started, Wyoming Seminary rowing geared up for another amazing fall season and welcomed multiple new rowers. Kai Chenette ‘28, a new rower on the team, mentioned how “The team consists of a great group of people and the sport itself requires an amount of discipline and passion that [she] admire [s].”

Along with a new coach, the team also received multiple new boats and equipment from Colgate University and generous donors. Some of the new equipment included was the seashell 1x/2x boat, erg machines, and one men’s and one women’s 4+ boat. The team looked forward to using the new equipment during practice and was excited to kick off this season in the right direction.

The first regatta the rowing team participated in was King’s Head XXXVII Regatta in Bridgeport, PA, on Sunday, September 28th. Multiple Wyoming Seminary boats competed in the race, such as the men’s U15 double, U19 women’s double, U19 men’s single, and the U17 men’s 4+. The men’s U15 double came in third place and had the fastest time over all the sculling boats that had raced for Sem. The U19 women’s double and the U19 men’s single came in last place, but were only a couple of minutes behind the other rowers in their competing category. The U17 men’s 4+ had a great race in a competitive category. Zuzana Havlickova ‘26 said, “This was an incredible experience for all the rowers, and everyone hoped to continue to improve throughout the season.”

After the Navy Day Regatta on October 12th in Philadelphia, PA, was unfortunately canceled due to bad weather, rowers hoped to finish off the season strong when they competed in their final competition of the season, the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta from October 25th to 26th. Looking ahead, the rowers are excited to continue competing in regattas scheduled for the spring term. 

“Howdy Homecoming”

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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.