Author: Ivy Miller

New Improvements Make Sem Shine

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by Evan Coates ’24

Improvements to campus have been going on since the start of school. So far, they have included the exterior and interior repainting of different buildings and various landscaping upgrades. Some of the more routine work around the 25 acre campus ranged from the cutting of lawns, making and laying new mulch, and pruning trees, all the way to seeing up every single on campus event, both athletic and social.

The amount of time and work that goes into these tasks is remarkable and should be appreciated by the entire community, as many on campus events would never be possible without the maintenance team led by Janet Murray, Director of Facilities Operations. 

One of the more current project on campus was the repainting of the Sprague Hall basement and offices. This brought a refreshed and updated look to the building, making it a more pleasant experience to spend time there for both faculty and students.

These are just some of the improvements done during the school year, while the vast majority of the work to residential houses, school buildings, and dorms were completed over the summer.

Sem residents were happy when they returned from summer break to find common spaces and residential spaces fitted with multiple upgrades. These included, but are not limited to; a new roof for the Pettibone Dickson Darte Center , new flooring and painting for the 3rd floor of Swetland Hall, along with new furniture for the 3rd and 4th floors, 45 new windows, trims, trims, surface sills, and painting in Nesbitt Hall, the expansion of the athletic training center, and repairs to the tennis court. The combination of these projects adds to the visual aspect of Sem’s sophistication and appeal as a day and boarding school. Looking into the future, the maintenance team is considering seeking board approval for pool renovations, more roof replacements, new HVAC chiller for Sprague Hall, and possibly more.

Getting Back to the Top

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By Teddy Kraus ‘25 

After winning the Wyoming Valley Conference District Championship four years in a row, the Sem Boys Soccer team was optimistic heading into the 2022 season. Following the regular season with an impressive record of 8-1-1, they liked their chances to win a fifth consecutive title. 

Unfortunately, Sem lost to Dunmore 5-1 and their championship aspirations came up short. Current senior captain Louie Michaels ‘24 reflected on how the team felt after the loss saying, “We were defeated and devastated. That team had one of the best potentials of any Sem boys soccer team. It was especially hard to swallow because we knew we beat ourselves. The whole team definitely experienced pain from that loss.”

Going into this season, there were questioned about how the team would bounce back after losing key players like Thomas Iskra, Aiden Gilbert, and Owen Rowlands to graduation. The team silenced any questions, however, posting a 7-3 record including a spectacular 5-0 record in away games. Captain Matt Swartz ‘25 commented on how the team has adjusted, saying “Even though we lost a lot of talent and leadership from last year, coach Littzi expects the same thing out of everyone as far as work ethic and attitude goes. Everyone on the team has stepped up in a major way and I give a ton of credit to coach on how he’s adjusted our lineup from an X’s and O’s perspective to keep us playing well.”

Great teams are able to use losses as learning opportunities and motivation to improve. When asked if the team is using last year’s loss to motivate them this year, starting Central Defensive Midfielder, Brian Leahy, ‘25 noted, “For sure it is. Last year’s loss is definitely driving us and motivating us to win it this year. We have the talent to win. What separates us is that we have a group of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Come district time, losing isn’t an option anymore. Experiencing defeat last year, seeing the seniors leave sad, we don’t want to get that feeling of regret and disappointment again. The seniors will end their careers with gold.”

The ending to last year’s District Championship loss was very difficult for the Sem Boys Soccer team. It would have been easy for the team to take a step back from their consistent success over the past five years, especially after losing four starters from last year’s team. However, with Coach Littzi’s adjustments, the players’ work ethic and attitude, and the team’s ability to use last year as motivation, this year they’re ready to get back to the top. 

CSS plans to make Sem more sustainable

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by Isabella Fox ’25

Climate Science and Sustainability program is a concentration here at Wyoming Seminary. The four-year program is created for students to study topics in climate science while gaining experience in the field. At the end of the program students will complete a capstone project. 

Together all students in the Climate Science and Sustainability program strive towards the game goal, spreading awareness on climate change. “Everything is connected and interlinked and we survive on this planet because it takes care of us, not because we take care of it. When you start to realize that our existence is based on how well the earth is taken care of, it becomes not an issue of nature but an issue of humanity in general.” Mr. McGlinn, the director of CSS,  says. 

In recent years numerous spaces around campus have been remodeled by students in the CSS program. The most recent spaces remodeled are the pollinator garden and the compost pile. 

Climate Science and Sustainability has partnered with Metz, the food service here at Sem, on the compost pile. Metz provides the fruit and vegetable scraps from daily meal preparation to the compost pile, which is located in the back of Maple lot.  

The pollinator garden is in the space behind the library & the SLRC. While the pollinator garden makes the space look beautiful- it increases the biodiversity on campus, increases pollination, and provides many learning opportunities for the Sem community. The pollinator garden was first formally announced to the Sem community in a Monday Memo in August of 2022. Since then, the space has hosted many informational sessions as well as fun activities. 

With climate change becoming a pressing issue, the importance of raising awareness has become crucial. Mr. McGlinn says  “Climate Science and Sustainability is extremely important because climate change and sustainability are the most important issues in the future because they touch so many different aspects of human life”.

This program allows students to not only raise awareness at the Upper School, but the Lower School as well. Mr. McGlinn followed up with “Overall, I’m seeing more and more young people become interested in this issue because they are realizing that it’s a problem that they are inheriting and didn’t necessarily come into the world creating, but they are the ones that are going to need to do something about it. They’re taking responsibility through action.”