Author: Ivy Miller

What Lunch is Better to Munch At?

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by Charles Cox ’23 and Callista Pham ’23

Have you ever eaten lunch alone? Or, have you not been able to grab a seat because it was so packed? Lunch scheduling is an important part of the Sem community. Therefore, when Covid-19 happened to the world, it even affected little things like our lunch.

Covid-19 has brought many changes to, and one of these changes is the structure to our lunch. The lunch schedule used to be and has now returned to an hour long lunch (community lunch). But, it was changed to 40 minutes intervals with an X and Z section (old lunch). The idea of lunch has been changed for everyone: some prefer the community structure and others the old one.

No one would know that Covid-19 happened. Before the pandemic, the Sem community always had the same lunch system. Due to Covid-19, the school decided to divide lunch time into half in order to protect students. This system turned out to be very helpful to the lunch staff and lines were at an all time low.

Yet, many students were dissatisfied with the idea of not being able to have lunch with their friends. And, the shortened lunch period of 40 minutes made it hard to use lunch as time to do anything else besides eating. This quote from a student shows the positives of the community lunch system and negatives of the old lunch system,  “I like the community lunch because I get to see my friends and get to see everyone. I don’t like the old lunch because sometimes, I didn’t have lunch with my friends and I hate eating alone,” Nadia Saeed, ’23.

The community lunch system offered a great way to spend time with your friends. And, since it is an hour long you would have enough time to meet up with a teacher or do homework. This lunch was called a community lunch since everyone was able to see everyone.

However, this lunch failed to be efficient and made it difficult to find seating.  “I think it’s too much for you guys. The lines are too long and you have to wait too long. And the dining is just jammed up. You can never get seats,” Mrs. Linda Brown, a lunch staff member.

In conclusion, the old lunch helped our Sem community to stop the spread of Covid-19, and it was easier for the lunch staff to do their work. Even with all that said, most of the students still prefer the community lunch since they can meet their friends and have more time to rest.

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.