Author: Ivy Miller

Favorite Faculty Books

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By Helena Prusak ’23

Ms. Miller

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

“Tom Jones is a humorous novel written in the 1700s. It’s about an illegitimate son of a servant who is adopted by a squire. Everyone is convinced he is the legitimate son of the squire. Jones falls in love with his virtuous neighbor, Sarah. He goes on a variety of adventures that show the contrast between his naive nature, the virtue of Sarah, and the evil of his half brother. It’s my favorite book because everytime I read it, I get something new out of it.”

Mrs. Shafer

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

“I read it sophomore year in high school and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. My teacher let me keep it, even though it was the school’s copy, and I still have it to this day! I’m actually going to reread it again after I finish Mad Honey.”

Ms. McLaughlin 

Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction by J.D. Salinger

“Why is it my favorite? I guess because it’s interesting. Like most high school kids, I was assigned The Catcher in the Rye, and from there I became interested in the guy who invented Holden Caulfield. Salinger was a brilliant and eccentric man; he lived almost all his life as a recluse, and refused to let his works be commercialized or reinvented in any way—to the point where every single book cover was exactly the same. No art—nothing. He was intensely private, and he didn’t churn out a ton of work…but the work he did put out is so captivating. Much of it is about a family he imagined, the Glass family. If you’ve read “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” then you already know the fate of Seymour Glass. But the books are quirky and playful and also smart and illuminating. It’s not the kind of book I’d ever want to teach, but one that I’d highly recommend.”

Mr. Chace

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
“As I tell my Love Gone Wrong class every year (we read the book in this class), The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is my favorite book of all time. The writing is beautiful, subtle, haunting, and heartbreaking, and the story revolves around memory and missed opportunities, either due to personality clashes, conflicts between personal and professional lives, or societal constraints. The idea that two people who clearly love each other can never make it work, can never even fully express their love, and can’t ever change their past is devastating, and I guess I would much rather be devastated by art and literature. As a result, Ishiguro has also become my favorite author.”

The Suscon Screamers

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By Kim Nguyen ’23

Sem students are doing amazing work on campus everyday. But what about off campus? Mikel Salas-Warner ‘23 and Lauren Urosevich ‘23 have taken their love of music to King’s College. Lauren says “I honestly always thought it would be so fun to have a radio show and I feel like doing the show with Mikel is so perfect, since we are always sending each other new music to listen to. So we asked Mr. Doherty and he helped us get a show!” Their radio show “The Suscon Screamers”  is eclectic, meaning it features many genres of music like indie, rock, country, folk, punk, and midwest emo.

You may be curious about the meaning of the show’s name. Salas-Warner explains, “The name comes from the legend of the Suscon Screamer, a ghost that lives near the woods of Pittston, PA…me and Lauren became really good friends through making journeys to Suscon…and often during these drives we would be playing music. It’s also just a great name for anything, so why not for our radio show?”

Every aspect of the show is unique, making it entertaining and eccentric for its listeners. The hosts combine their favorite genres like 70s rock to maintain a mix of them since the show is experimental. If you are interested in listening, the show starts every Monday at 8:30-9:30 on 88.5 FM WRKC.

Dr. Christopher Thurber Visits Wyoming Seminary

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By Dino Perusko ’24

On February 2nd and 3rd, Wyoming Seminary’s students and parents had a chance to attend presentations about pressure and healthy ways to deal with pressure by a leader in positive youth development, Dr. Chris Thurber.

Thurber, a graduate of Harvard University and UCLA, has worked as a psychologist and instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy since 1999. He has helped young adults in dealing with a wide range of problems that are in his clinical interest, such as depression, anxiety, sexuality, homesickness, attention deficits, substance use, and interpersonal conflict.

In his professional work, he also focuses on the ways in which parents can contribute to their children’s well-being and the amount of pressure that their children are dealing with. In his book The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure,which he recently published together with Dr. Hendrix Weisinger, he reveals eight transformations that loving caregivers can make to raise healthy, happy, high-functioning children, asking the critical question of what is the right kind of pressure to put on kids. 

During his student presentation held on Friday, February 2, in SLRC, Dr. Thurber helped students determine different kinds of pressures that they experience in their everyday lives and their sources. Whether that is academic pressure of standing out and doing something for your school community or college process, athletic pressure in sports, financial pressure, or social pressure from your peers, Dr. Thurber discussed and provided some helpful ways in how we can cope with and avoid pressure, and prevent it from having a negative impact on our mental health.

Thurber also encouraged students to talk with their parents, who had a chance to listen to his presentation  about The Parental Pressure Paradox the night before, about the amount and the kind of pressure that they are receiving from them.  All the attendants enjoyed an hour-long presentation, engaging in conversation and discussion with Thurber before, during, and even after the presentation. Sem’s student body expressed positive feedback and gratitude to host Dr. Christopher Thurber on campus, with hopes that there will be more of these types of events happening in the future.