Author: Ivy Miller

Spring Sports Update

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By Tyler Maddock ’18

 

Boys Baseball
Record: 3-4

Entering the season, the Blue Knights had mixed expectations, they returned eight starters from last season, but remained a young team. They started off the season with a loss to crosstown rival, Dallas. They bounced back picking up wins against Lake-Lehman and a major upset victory over Hanover. The loss was just Hanover’s second in league play in the last four seasons.  Alexandre Sabourin ‘17 threw a complete game shutout for Sem, striking out four. Johnny Kehl ‘17 has lead the team offensively thus far batting .438, Justin Negron has also been a steady presence at the plate batting .357. They will take on Meyers at home and Holy Redeemer this week. 

 

Boys Lacrosse
Record: 6-2

This year team has proved to be one of, if not the best teams in the area. The have outscored local teams by a staggering total of 73-18 in just five games. They have not been able to find that same ssus file against teams outside of NEPA. Dropping competitive games to regional Powerhouses The Hill School and Lewisburg. Offensively the team has been lead by Duncan Breig ‘17 and George Vavlas ‘17. Breig, a three year starter, has gotten the attention of numerous division 1 programs. Kyle Hall ‘16 ancorose the team’s defence. Freshmen Max Bartron and Chris Brug have made key contributions in their first season as Blue Knights. They take on Moravian Academy Tuesday at home.

 

Boys Tennis
Record: 7-0

It’s a new season for the boy’s tennis team, but somethings haven’t changed- they are still unbeatable. In seven league matches so far this season, they have not lost a game. Eamons Gibbons ‘17, the returning Times Leader WVC player of the year, has yet to lose a match in the first singles spot. Adrian Sung ‘17 has been just as dominate as the number two single, also posting a perfect 7-0 record. . The team will look to continue their dominance, this week on the road against Dallas.

 

Girls Lacrosse
Record: 7-2

Much like the boy’s team, the girls have been dominant among local competition. They are a perfect 6-0 against division opponents. They added a 8-4 victory over Midd-West High school in a non-league game. The team remains a top of the division standings in large part to the contributions of eight seniors, who have won the division title in their previous three seasons at Sem. They are Isabella Cordaro, Louise Cornell, Sarah Denion, Gabby Grossman, Rachel Havrylkoff, Megan Obeid, Katherine Paglia and Taylor Tracy. They will also rely on a few newcomers, most notably Mia Raineri ‘19 who has taken over the job of starting goalie in her first season.

 

Girls Softball
Record: 4-4

This year’s team has found more success in the beginning of the season than it has in years past. The team has posted wins over Lackawanna Trail, G.A.R, Myers and MMI Prep. This new found success is due in large part to the production of newcomers Cassidy Graham ‘18 and Aubrey Mytych ‘19. Sem is looking like early contenders in the division but in order to get to the top, they will have to get by defending state champion Holy Redeemer. They will take on Hanover on the road this Tuesday.

Winter Workship

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By Jacqui Meuser ’16

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This year’s first (and probably last) tangible sign that winter does still exist—a two-hour delay—appropriately commenced the first night of the Winter Workshop.

Beginning at 7pm on Wednesday, February 10, and ending on Sunday, February 14, the 13th Annual Winter Acting Workshop held approximately eight sketches per night, with a whopping 44 student actors and actresses in total. Held in the Buckingham Performing Arts Center, the Workshop attracted participation from students who range from the leading actress in a major school play to the jock who never in his life imagined himself reciting a script in front of a live audience. Whether a skit was a reenactment of a classic Saturday Night Live sketch or an original sketch composed by a creative and courageous student, each sketch accomplished something interesting and unique, while never failing to keep the spectators on the edge of their seats.

 

Jason Sherry ‘91, the director, has worked every year of the Workshop’s thirteen years. Over the years, this staple of Sem’s Performing Arts program has taken place in the fall, the winter, and the spring. Whatever the season, Mr. Sherry has diligently worked to place each actor in the role that suits him best, honed each actor’s ability to alter his persona, and encouraged and drilled each actor until he feels comfortable enough to perform in front of a crowd.

 

When the idea of a “Fall Acting Workshop” came into fruition in 2002, it was intended to occur every two years. But, Mr. Sherry explained, after the first one was such a success, it became clear that it was a great way for students to expand their horizons and get involved in drama.

 

According to Alex Grosek ‘16, an actor in the Workshop for the past three years, the Workshops would have a hard time succeeding if not for Mr. Sherry. “Mr. Sherry puts an incredible amount of time and effort into directing his shows,” Grosek said. “He’s able to take in people from all skill levels and turn them into real actors in a surprisingly short amount of time. The whole process is really fun, and although it’s serious, it never seems like real work for anyone involved in the show.”  

 

This year’s Workshop consisted of many great acts from all sides of the genre spectrum. Whether a sketch was intended to be funny or serious, it was up to the actors to make it as great as possible, and many of the actors accomplished just that with effortless poise.

 

In one scene, Erica Fletcher ‘17 and Derek Jolley ‘17 played an ex-couple having a conversation in a baby’s room. The scene was an extremely serious one, but they still managed to make it an incredible performance. “There was a good amount of humor and entertainment value, but I really enjoyed both actors’ performances,” Scott Green said. “They were able to portray the depth of both characters accurately in such a small amount of time on stage.”

 

On the other hand, there were also many hilarious sketches that were the topic of conversation for a few days following. One sketch, in particular, stuck in the minds of everyone who watched. Max Liebetrau ‘18, Jorge Carrion ‘16, and others resurrected and absolutely mastered the classic Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” sketch. Although only about half of the audience recognized the sketch from SNL, the viewers who were watching it as new enjoyed it just the same. According to Gabby Grossman ‘16, an actress in this year’s Winter Workshop, “Max was absolutely hysterical. It was like watching a young Will Ferrell on SNL. ‘More Cowbell’ was definitely one of my favorites.”

 

In short, whether you’re a fan of the funny or the serious, this year’s Winter Workshop aimed to please, and it certainly succeeded!

Sem Weighs in on the 2016 Election

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Marshall Bursis ’16

What began as a boring primary cycle dominated by two dynastic front-runners has quickly become one of the most exciting and unpredictable races in recent history.

Last June Jeb Bush, former Republican Governor of Florida, and Hillary Clinton—the former Democratic First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State—looked poised to be their party’s respective nominees. And when a real-estate-mogul-slash-reality-TV-personality in Donald J. Drumpf and a self-described Democratic Socialist in Bernie Sanders entered the race, no one thought much would change.

But, soon after his announcement, Mr. Drumpf rose in national poll after poll, following a stretch of inflammatory comments that seemed only to raise his support. He quickly became the frontrunner, leading national polls for months and winning the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries by a margin of 20 and 10 points, respectively.

The rise of Mr. Sanders, the senior Senator from Vermont, was much more gradual. Nonetheless, his campaign has removed the air of inevitability surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy. Although she is still the frontrunner and likely the eventual nominee, Mr. Sanders has proven himself a formidable opponent, virtually tying Clinton in Iowa and winning New Hampshire by a record 22 points.

As the race currently stands, Drumpf leads the Republican field nationally by about 14 points, according to an aggregate of the five most recent polls collected by Real Clear Politics. Mr. Sanders is still behind, trailing Clinton by about 6 points using the same metric. What makes his rise so impressive is that he trailed Clinton by an average of 25 points last summer.

What has become an exciting election has drawn newcomers into the political process. For many Wyoming Seminary students, this election cycle is the first that they have followed. In a poll of the Sem community conducted by The Opinator, 190 students and 39 faculty members—comprising 62 independents, 75 Republicans, and 92 Democrats—voiced their opinions on the 2016 campaign.

Among self-identified Democrats, Mr. Sanders won 41 percent of the vote, compared to Mrs. Clinton’s 34 percent. 25 percent remains undecided.

Mr. Drumpf holds an impressive lead over self-identified Republicans, with an astounding 49 percent of the vote. The next closest are Senator Marco Rubio at 16 percent and Senator Ted Cruz at 9.3 percent.

 

Mr. Bush dropped out of the race after a disappointing 4th place finish in South Carolina. His poll numbers were not much better at Sem. He stood in last place of the Republican field at 1 percent and received just 1 vote out of all the self-identified Republican and Independent voters.

Among Independents, Mr. Sanders leads all candidates from the Democratic and Republican field, with 36 percent of the vote. Undecided voters make up a substantial minority at 27 percent, and Mr. Drumpf sits in third with 15 percent.

Students have voiced their opinions publicly too. Tyler Maddock ’18 said that he supports Mr. Rubio because he is “the most qualified candidate in the Republican field and has the ability to stand up to Hillary and defeat her in a general election.” Ryan Guers ’16 supports Mr. Drumpf because he “is discussing the issues that many conservatives care about and does not worry about the fallout surrounding his controversial viewpoints. He isn’t controlled by any super PAC or special interest group, so you know his views are entirely his own.”

Sara Edgar ’16 believes Mrs. Clinton is the best choice because she “is the only candidate that will secure, ensure, and ameliorate my rights as a woman. Unlike Drumpf, she has tangible solutions to the problems we face moving forward.”

 

As the races on both sides continue and more states vote, the picture for 2016 will become increasingly clear. For now, though, the picture is clear at Sem: Mr. Drumpf and Mr. Sanders reign.