Author: Ivy Miller

A Spotlight on Kindness

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2022 students and faculty who were recognized for their kindness

First Row: Ellie Scullion ‘25, Molly Kopetchny ‘24, Paul Stevenson ‘24, Victoria Weirich-Freiberg ‘23, Daniel Irwin ‘22
Second Row: Korina Blades ‘22, Meredith Shafer, History Teacher, Thomas Whitworth, Interim School President, Catie Kersey, History Teacher,
Ford Boock ‘23
(Photo Courtesy Wyoming Seminary Communications Department)

by Helena Prusak ’23

Are you aware of just how much kindness surrounds you? Don’t be alarmed if you cannot answer this question–most people will not be able to. However, there is a club at Wyoming Seminary that can help with an answer. Dude. Be Nice is all about highlighting and celebrating acts of kindness that might not be noticed or appreciated. 

Dude. Be Nice is a nationwide organization that was brought to Sem around six years ago. Claire Stretanski ‘23, a leader of Dude. Be Nice, said, “My favorite thing about Dude. Be Nice is the message. I think it is such a simple message, but it is so important. Kindness is something that people of all ages can learn.” 

The club is constantly active, but every year there is a focus week to highlight the club’s message. This year, Dude. Be Nice Week was from April 25th to April 29th. Each day in the week had a special theme. These themes included Make Someone Happy Monday, Take Care of the World Tuesday, Kind Deed Wednesday, and Teamwork Thursday. Friday wrapped up the week with a closing assembly. 

For this years assembly, awards were given out to students and teachers to highlight kindness that would not otherwise be rewarded. Stretanski said, “I think recognizing kindness is extremely important, especially in a school setting. Schools need something to bring positivity to campus, and recognizing students for being kind is a great way to do that.” Closing out a week that focuses on applauding kindness in the Sem community by giving standing ovations to people who have been especially kind to others reinforces the club’s goal. 

Dude. Be Nice is special because it is one of the only clubs that involves the entire Sem community. Lucy Lew ‘24, the liason for Dude. Be Nice at the Lower School, said, “Because there are some younger kids at the Lower School, we really try to remind kids that kindness doesn’t just stop after this week. It is just simply highlighted!” 

Dude. Be Nice’s message remains consistent between both campuses. Lew said, “The Lower School had the same themes as the Upper School and even some similar activities, such as putting sticky notes up.” When both the Upper School and Lower School are participating in the same activities to promote kindness, the entirety of the Sem community is connected. 

Dude Be. Nice has a strong presence at Sem. The club’s message is infectious and spreads like wildfire across both campuses. Kindness is always present, but it is celebrated, highlighted, and spread by Dude. Be Nice. 

Lacrosse Season is Underway

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The 2022 Wyoming Seminary Boys Lacrosse team (Photo courtesy Nansen Wang ’22)

by Maddie Olshemski ’23

As the sunshine and spring weather begins to come out one thing is for certain – boys and girls lacrosse seasons are off and running on Klassner Field. Both squads have prepared extremely hard for their seasons and are off to great starts! 

Boys lacrosse is coming off of a 17-2 season with a spot in the district championship as well as a trip to states for the first time in recent years. This year they look to build on their success from last year and hopefully get back to the District Championship once again and punch another ticket to states. When asked  about building on their successful previous season and what will help them succeed this year attacker and 100 goal scorer explains Jack Herron ’24 explains, “We have a lot of returning players this year and none of us were satisfied with what happened last year in districts and in states. We are using that as motivation for this year to get us into a position to win.” The team is off to a great start to the first half of the season and when asked about what they look forward to in the second part of the season. Herron continues, “we look forward to districts and look forward to seeing how we will advance and get better as the season continues to progress.” 

Girls Lacrosse is looking to build off of their season as well from last year where they came up just short in a district semifinal loss to Lake Lehman. This year seems to be heading in the right direction for the squad and many of the players are saying something seems to be different on the team this year, a good type of different. When asked about this difference from last year Captain Attacker Ashley Metz ’22 explains, “I feel like our team chemistry has changed a lot this year for the better. We are definitely super close not only on the field but also off the field which definitely helps us connect and find success on the field. Last year didn’t end the way we wanted it to and this year it just feels like there is a different vibe surrounding our team and we can hopefully cap off our season in a more positive and successful way.” Both Blue Knight lacrosse squads still have a lot of games to play and they look forward to competing and are thankful for their chance to represent Wyoming Seminary in a great way on the field. Make sure to support both of these teams at Klassner Field as their seasons continue. 

Tennis on Fire

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by Heiger Chen ’22

After defeating Holy Redeemer with a 5-0, Wyoming Seminary tennis team is ending with a strong season. This year’s season began in March and ended in mid-April with Coach Raphael Cooper hoping the team goes into playoffs, which consist of singles, doubles, and teams. He illustrated that the most important goal for the year was for the the team to be competitive and continues learning game to game.

Although Keefer Wu ’22 and Artur Gilicinski ’23 left the team this year, Vaughn Kutish ’22 and Benjamin (Ben) Ziegler ’22 took the positions of team leaders to bring the team together. As Cooper mentioned during an interview “It’s gonna be a difficult but fun and interesting year making adjustments as we could be scrabbing again before districts to make another adjustment to the roster.” 

When asked about who stands out the most to him, he said that “everyone [is] special in terms of what they are doing. You know, they have their own strengthens and weaknesses. But I would just like to say our captains because they are setting the table for all of us.” He continues by wishing his players a good year. “I want every kid leaving feeling like they got better at tennis as well as enjoying the whole experience. It’s not just about winning but progressing and understanding the concept of teamwork.” Cooper added.

The tennis team had their first competition against Berwick and they won 4-1. Specifically, Cooper highlighted Ryan Chun ’23 who had his first time as a singles player and won the match. Additionally, Yicheng Li ’25, who was new to the team, also performed well; he played in a doubles match and had his first victory.