Author: Finnley Brennan

Bell Tower Dance: Ringing in the New School Year!

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By Ayza Ali ‘28

Setting the stage for yet another amazing year at Sem, one of Wyoming Seminary’s beginning of the school year traditions, the Bell Tower Dance, was a huge success this year. Held on September 25, 2026, students gathered at the Bell Tower for a memorable night of laughing, singing, and most importantly, dancing. 

Traditionally, the dance is held at the end of the first week of school, but due to some other school events, the dance was postponed. However, this did not stop the students from celebrating the beginning of the year, and joining together for a great night. The beginning of the school year can cause a lot of stress; finding your classes, meeting new people, and figuring out your teacher’s teaching style can be a lot for both the new students and those returning. The Bell Tower Dance allowed students to let loose and forget about their stress for the night. It also allowed them to socialize and get to know one another better, helping strengthen the student body’s connections. Rhea Mascarenhas ‘28 attended the dance and said, “I loved this year’s dance! The best part of Bell Tower is getting the opportunity to make new memories and getting to know unfamiliar faces.” Thanks to the dance, the bridge between the boarding community and the day students was broken down, allowing students to familiarize themselves with one another, creating lifelong friendships.

The entire dance would not have been possible without the help of True Blue. After the school day, the group of students worked to make sure that the Bell Tower was decorated with lights, the DJ had curated the perfect playlist, and most importantly, that the students would show up and enjoy themselves. They advertised the dance for weeks leading up to it, getting the students excited to get a chance to celebrate the beginning of the new year. Andreanna Vavlas ‘27, a leader of True Blue, says, “As a senior, I can confidently say that the Bell Tower Dance is one of the best traditions to kick off the school year. Being able to work alongside my peers and watch an idea come together into a night enjoyed by the entire school was one of the most rewarding experiences. From jumping into mosh pits to singing ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and swaying together on the steps of the Bell Tower, every moment captured makes this tradition so meaningful. It was more than just a dance; it was a night that brought us together, created lasting memories, and reminded us what it means to be Blue Knights.”

It is clear that the Bell Tower Dance means a lot to the Sem community, and that any chance for the students to live in the moment is a chance to create core memories. There isn’t a better way to start off the year, and the Blue Knights can’t wait to carry on the tradition forevermore.


Students Reveal Their Most Irrational Fears

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By Dana Jung ‘30

What do spiders, deep water, realistic robots, and loose change have in common? They all made appearances in a schoolwide poll asking students to reveal their most irrational fears. Across 32 responses, students described everything from familiar fears, like heights and insects, to more unusual anxieties involving clusters of holes, submerged objects, and animatronics. Their answers also revealed a common theme: fear isn’t always about how dangerous something actually is. Sometimes, it’s about uncertainty, losing control, or the way the brain interprets a possible threat.

32 students rated how fearful they consider themselves on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very fearful). Seven of the 32 respondents (22%), selected a 4 or 5, while four (12.5%), selected a 1. The remaining 21 students rated themselves a 2 or 3. The poll included common phobias such as heights, spiders, insects, snakes, the dark, and deep water, alongside situational fears involving needles, public speaking, tight spaces, and being alone.

Fear of the dark was a recurring theme in the written answers. One anonymous senior offered a detailed explanation: “[I’m afraid of] The dark because I don’t have a sense of what is there… when I’m in the dark, my brain panics because my eyes aren’t working.” The student continued by emphasizing that darkness can intensify other fears when they feel their vision isn’t reliable. Lizzy VanKuyk ‘28 expressed a similar idea, saying, “I think it’s just the fear of what’s in the dark and not the actual darkness itself.”

There’s a scientific explanation for why uncertainty can feel frightening. Vision helps people understand their surroundings and identify threats. When visibility is eliminated, the brain has less information to work with, making it harder to determine if something is safe.

Some of the poll’s most distinctive responses included fears that are difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t experience them. Finnley Brennan ‘30 identified animatronics as her biggest irrational fear, particularly those found in Halloween stores: “no matter how logical I am, every time I see one of [the Halloween store animatronics], I get super uncomfortable,” she wrote. She connected the fear to a childhood experience and also to the odd feeling of seeing something that looks human but isn’t. Jaiden Lui ‘28 shared a related fear, writing, “I’m terrified of robots that look human.”

Another freshman described a fear of clusters of holes, saying they “hate seeing multiple of the same thing at once, it looks uncanny and wrong.” One hyper-specific phobia was argyrophobia, the fear of silverware, jewelry and coins. The responder stated that they are “very repulsed by coins and can’t explain it.”

Reading this, you might be wondering: why does fear feel so physical? In reality, fear isn’t just a thought; it prepares a person to react to possible danger. The heart can beat faster, muscles could tense, palms can sweat, and a person may feel an urge to escape or freeze. The variety of these reactions appeared throughout the poll. Harper Acornley ‘30 described experiencing fear around heights and tight spaces. “When I’m high up my legs begin to shake and I get extremely light headed,” she wrote. She also described feeling trapped in small spaces. Mimi Benetos ‘27 explained that her fear of heights depends on how safe she believes a situation to be, stating, “[If] I’m somewhere where I know my life isn’t particularly in danger, I’ll be okay, but if I realize that something bad can happen if I’m high up somewhere, my body tenses up.” Her response shows how someone’s perception of danger can influence fear.

For Luc Lacroix ‘28, needles are frightening for a different reason, expressing, “It’s not the pain of being poked at; it’s the fact that you’re watching something foreign enter your body.” That statement highlights how fears can center on more than physical pain. Anticipation, uncertainty, and a feeling of losing control can all contribute to anxiety.

Meanwhile, Ben Thomas ‘30 was more direct about his fear of bugs: “I understand they are mostly harmless, but when I see most bugs, I scream,” underscoring the fact that irrational fears can be terrifying, no matter how harmless.

The poll revealed that irrational fears can be very specific, but the feelings and reasons behind them overlap. For some students, the explanation lies in a childhood memory or a film; for others, there’s no obvious reason at all. Either way, knowing that a fear is irrational doesn’t necessarily make it disappear. Ultimately, the poll is a reminder that fear is personal. One person’s harmless spider, ordinary needle, or silly-looking animatronic may be another person’s worst nightmare. And, if a Spirit Halloween animatronic ever appears in the middle of class, Finnley might appreciate a little warning.

A Touching Display

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By Nancy Dahal ‘28

Once again, the AP Studio Art class has brought us an incredible show. The Season of the Witch, a magnificent showcase featuring works by a multitude of students, took place prior to this Halloween in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts featuring works by a multitude of students. From beautiful paintings to charcoal sketches and everything in between, this diverse and astounding display is truly a testament to the hard work of all of the artists involved. 

Though the students dedicated much of their time to their pieces, none of this would have been possible without the instruction of their teacher Ms. Ayers. With her expertise, students have been able to create created works that are both beautiful to look at and technically brilliant. From incredible self portraits to stunning landscapes and focused objects, the show contains a diverse display of subjects and matters – yet, they are all tied by the amount of skill and precision required to create each one. Fitting into the theme, Elsie Salesky ‘28 described her beautiful painting of a beautiful fiddle which she describes “My piece in the show is an acrylic painting of a violin. It was inspired by a piece the orchestra is playing called ‘Witches’ Fiddle,’ and in it, I tried to capture the highlights of the violin and the shadows which fade into the background, creating what I hope is a spooky and realistic painting.”

As well as an extensively thought out and executed process, many of the works contain deep and personal themes relevant to the artist. Some may be objects that the artist admired and others may feature locations that resonate sentimentally. Regardless of subject matter, all of the pieces are incredibly thought provoking! Ashmary Cummings ‘27 painted a wonderful rendition of a woman playing the violin pictured above. “Our show’s guiding theme was ‘Witch’s Fiddle’ and I think most other artists played into the spooky, more Halloween aspect of that theme. Nothing wrong with that, I just wanted to explore something different. I was really inspired by Stevie Nicks, and how she’s frequently called the white witch. I wanted to portray that idea of magic without mainstream imagery. The kind of magic that happens when you can create music from nothing but your instrument. Working with the oil pastels was really fun, nothing a medium I’m super familiar with, so it was nice to explore how things blend and move. It was a very hands on process, I’d use my fingers for smudging and detailing. Overall I’m pretty happy with the piece, it was fun to do,” She explained.

Across all of the different works at the showcase, the AP Art Class has clearly put a copious amount of much hard work into these projects. All of these efforts certainly do show in the display, which is a recommendation for all students to go admire. The entire SEM community should all look forward to what these artists have to bring in the future as well as they move forward and onto new horizons!