Author: Ivy Miller

CSS plans to make Sem more sustainable

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by Isabella Fox ’25

Climate Science and Sustainability program is a concentration here at Wyoming Seminary. The four-year program is created for students to study topics in climate science while gaining experience in the field. At the end of the program students will complete a capstone project. 

Together all students in the Climate Science and Sustainability program strive towards the game goal, spreading awareness on climate change. “Everything is connected and interlinked and we survive on this planet because it takes care of us, not because we take care of it. When you start to realize that our existence is based on how well the earth is taken care of, it becomes not an issue of nature but an issue of humanity in general.” Mr. McGlinn, the director of CSS,  says. 

In recent years numerous spaces around campus have been remodeled by students in the CSS program. The most recent spaces remodeled are the pollinator garden and the compost pile. 

Climate Science and Sustainability has partnered with Metz, the food service here at Sem, on the compost pile. Metz provides the fruit and vegetable scraps from daily meal preparation to the compost pile, which is located in the back of Maple lot.  

The pollinator garden is in the space behind the library & the SLRC. While the pollinator garden makes the space look beautiful- it increases the biodiversity on campus, increases pollination, and provides many learning opportunities for the Sem community. The pollinator garden was first formally announced to the Sem community in a Monday Memo in August of 2022. Since then, the space has hosted many informational sessions as well as fun activities. 

With climate change becoming a pressing issue, the importance of raising awareness has become crucial. Mr. McGlinn says  “Climate Science and Sustainability is extremely important because climate change and sustainability are the most important issues in the future because they touch so many different aspects of human life”.

This program allows students to not only raise awareness at the Upper School, but the Lower School as well. Mr. McGlinn followed up with “Overall, I’m seeing more and more young people become interested in this issue because they are realizing that it’s a problem that they are inheriting and didn’t necessarily come into the world creating, but they are the ones that are going to need to do something about it. They’re taking responsibility through action.” 

Wyoming Seminary Arts Showcase

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By Abby Ryu ‘26

After a short exciting spirit week, Friday evening marked Wyoming Seminary music department’s annual Arts Showcase in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts (KCCA). The audience experienced a wide variety of performances: from complicated classical pieces to fun dances.

The evening started off with a preview of this year’s fall musical, Guys and Dolls. In the scene presented, Nathan Detroit (Benecio Carpentier ‘24) argues with his long-term fiancée, Adelaide (Lily Roberti ‘24), about her strong desire to get married and his gambling habits, when she finds out about his crap game from her friend Mimi (Molly Kopetchny ‘24). As the argument ends, Adelaide, left to wallow alone about the lack of her wedding, sings popular, and fittingly-titled, showtune “Adelaide’s Lament.” The three senior cast members truly wowed the audience with their performance, leaving them looking forward to the full performance, which will be presented in the KCCA on November 4, 5, and 6. 

Following the musical preview, the string ensemble performed three pieces: modern lyrical piece Autumn Vows, by Susan H. Day, along with well-known classical pieces by Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dance no 5 and Hungarian Dance no 6. Although they were perhaps more challenging, avid string ensemble member and cello player Hannah Salesky ‘26 enjoyed playing Hungarian Dance no 5 and Hungarian Dance no 6: “I really liked the numerous stops and tempo changes that required players to be playing close attention. It sounded really cool when it worked.”

The SEM dance company performed two selections for the audience to enjoy. First, senior Molly Kopetchny performed the re-structured solo-version of her self-choreographed modern lyrical piece to “Stay Gold.” Senior Lucy Lew, junior Abby Lott, and freshman Grace Rushmer followed with an up-beat tap dance to “Fireball,” choreographed by tap teacher Raphael Cooper. The audience was left thoroughly impressed by both pieces, although in different ways. Kopetchny’s graceful emotion was intensely moving while the sparkling energy of “Fireball” emitted thrills of excitement.

The night was wrapped up with two pieces by the Chorale. The first, titled “Shule Aroon,” is an arrangement of an Irish folk tune, sung from the perspective of a woman lamenting a lover who has gone to war. The second, titled “Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe” is a celebratory Swahili spiritual about the love of god. New member Chloe Caputo ‘26 specifically noted “Even with newer members like myself and it being early in the school year, we were able to put together two arrangements that ended up going well.”

Sit Down! SEM Drama prepares “Guys and Dolls”

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By Benecio Carpentier ‘24

Theater season is in full swing, so it only makes sense that SEM Drama is on the homestretch for November’s performance of ‘Guys and Dolls.” The iconic Broadway show, based on the short stories of American writer Damon Runyon, has been performed across the world since its 1950 opening run. The classic show about New York gamblers and dancing damsels hasn’t been performed at Wyoming Seminary since 1996. 

“Guys and Dolls” follows Benecio Carpentier ‘24 as gambling ringmaster Nathan Detroit challenging big-time better Sky Masterson, played by David Getz ‘24, to a bet over Sky’s ability to woo conservative mission worker Sarah Brown, portrayed by Rachel Lewis ‘25. As Sky becomes stuck between his betting ways and his love for Sarah, Nathan struggles with his own romance with ditzy dancer Adelaide, performed by Lily Roberti ‘24, and his reluctance to marry her after fourteen years. 

Supporting cast members include Ari Froelich ‘24 as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Michael Vodzak ‘24 as Benny Southstreet, Kathryn Eidam ‘27 as Big Jule, Abby Whitby ‘24 as Major Abernathy, Chloe Caputo ‘26 as General Cartwright, Harry Xu ‘25 as Rusty Charlie, and Matias Tollinen ‘25 as Harry the Horse. The show’s soundtrack, composed by legend Frank Loesser, includes timeless songs like “Fugue for Tinhorns”, “Adelaide’s Lament”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin the Boat.”

Abby Whitby ‘24 gave her thoughts on how different the musical experience for “Guys and Dolls” has been compared to last year’s “Bright Star”; Whitby said, “…going through the big ensemble numbers in the first rehearsals was good, because we could get it down easier, the stuff that was easier to learn.” Technical Director Floyd Bussie, Jr. worked in tandem with Director Jason Sherry ‘91 to design and construct the set pieces for the show’s Broadway setting.