Sem’s First Defamation Day

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Ivy Miller

By Ms. Miller’s Journalism Class

Jeanne Arrigo, who plays Judge Barnes, addresses the crowd to begin the play “Defamation.” (Photo courtesy of Michelle Harris ‘17)

On Monday October 17th, the Wyoming Seminary community spent a day together to discuss sensitive social topics after viewing the nationally touring play, “Defamation.” “Defamation” is a courtroom drama where a black woman sues a Jewish man for defamation. The play included six actors and a jury of 500 audience members. At the end, the audience makes the ultimate decision of who is right, who is wrong, and why.

A group of 18 students and two faculty members saw the play last year at Malvern Prep High School in Philadelphia, and were asking to bring not only the play to Sem, but to bring the conversation with it. The goal of the play is to question topics that might otherwise be pushed to the side or too difficult to talk about in everyday classroom conversation.

When asked what the point of bringing Defamation to Sem was, Defamation Stage Manager, Anders Goodwin explained, “To get the civil discourse of race, class, gender, religion, [and] all of the things that come up in the play, to people who don’t have much exposure to it. [And to people who] have thoughts about it but haven’t had the chance to express their thoughts. These are conversations that we have to have in society but it’s hard to get these conversations started in a place that doesn’t feel threatening.”

Sem Students watching a video about race in college admissions. (Photo courtesy of Parshwa Sheth ‘17)

A main goal of Monday was to get students to listen to each other and think about what they are saying, before they say it. “Listening to your peers and teachers, because you start to realize that everyone has their own views on the play. We’ve all seen the same thing but we all come out with slightly different perceptions on it.” Goodwin explains.

Following the play students were sent to afternoon sessions; two per student based on their choice. Many controversial topics such as race, religion, gender, class and the law were covered in the fifty-five minute sessions. Each session was hosted by faculty and special guests with relatively small group sizes of around twenty students.

This was a unique experience because these subjects are often not approached in a school environment. Sessions were varied, some being more informational and material based, while others were more discussion based. But the sessions not only informed students about what was going on in their world today but also what they will be facing in the coming years. Topics included safe spaces and free speech on college campuses, treatment of people with different sexual orientations, along with other concepts.

Some sessions ended with students being more informed, while others left students arguing with one another over their own beliefs.

Sem Students engaged in a discussion about Racial Segregation. (Photo Courtesy of Parshwa Sheth ‘17)

A Look into Field Hockey

Gallery

By Ms. Miller’s Journalism Class

Alex Wesneski 20’ (right) and Aubrey Mytych 19’ (left) braid their hair while waiting for the game to start.

Payton McCormick ‘17 leads warm-ups. Players engage in a tradition where team members hit the field hockey cage with their sticks as they run laps.

Kelsey Reznick ‘19, leads a team cheer to keep spirits high.

The team gathers on the side of the field and holds hands for the national anthem.

The team gets together for a prayer before the game. The team prayer is a Sem tradition that has existed for over a decade.

Before tip off, JV players make a “tunnel” for the varsity team to run through before the start of the game.

Sem’s “Fob”ulous Security

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Ivy Miller

By Ms. Miller’s Journalism Class

Security and safety has always been an issue in schools all across America. With more and more violence everyday it has never been a more pressing problem. The question remains are some schools being careful enough?

View of the outside of the KCCA, bordered by a public sidewalk. Photo courtesy of Alex Peck ‘17.

View of the outside of the KCCA, bordered by a public sidewalk. Photo courtesy of Alex Peck ‘17

As a school within a city, Wyoming Seminary (SEM) tries to take as many precautions as possible. With Security guards patrolling the ground day and night as well as a fob system of electronic access keys only given to students and faculty. Students also utilise a text program where they are alerted of possible security issues and lockdowns.

However, being in a city does have its consequences. Sprague Avenue, a street that goes directly through campus and although cars cannot access it, the street is technically public property. This allows anyone to walk on Sprague freely but not the rest of campus as it is private property.

Members of SEM’s faculty believe the school is safe right now, but previously, security was an issue. Mr. Randy Granger, Dean of Academics, said: “There was an issue before the Sprague doors were fob protected. People who shouldn’t be inside Sprague walked in the building sometimes. Faculty members immediately recognized that they shouldn’t be here so they escorted them outside of the building.” Since then preventive measures have been improved.

Cameras in the KCCA parking lot. Photo Courtesy of Connor Evans ‘17.

Cameras are a relatively new security addition that Mr. Jay Harvey ‘80, Upper School dean, insists are monitoring everything. He said: “Every entrance has one security camera so we can look who’s coming and going. The school is working on… [putting] more external cameras on campus.” Hopefully new cameras can be placed on some of the older buildings as well.

On the use of fobs, that are used to access every building on the SEM campus, there is mostly positive feedback. Granger states: “They’re annoying sometimes, but are a necessity in order to ensure safety.” The downsides of these keys is how they are easy to lose and how they must be shut off if lost.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked preventative measures at SEM is simple common sense. “I have been on campus for 13 years and I can just recognize some people that just don’t belong, ” says Jeff Sims, the head groundskeeper, “I report it to the security, and they take care of it.”

Despite all these measures, there are still occasional questions raised about the security of the campus. “Many people who live around Kingston walk around Sprague Ave at night,” said Quang Phan ‘17. “I didn’t know most of them.” This is because of the previously mentioned fact that the public sidewalks on Sprague Avenue are technically public property, enabling anyone who wants to to wander down them freely.

James Reilly ‘17 using SEM’s Fob System. Photo courtesy of Connor Evans ‘17.

However, most feel that the measures are enough to prevent any issues in campus safety. “I don’t think I have encountered any security issue,” said Sims. “ I have been living in the area for 13 years, and I feel really safe here.”