Category: Features

White Out: Students’ Snow Day Adventure

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By Simran Sharma ‘27 

Who does not enjoy a snow day? From sleeping in to playing in the snow, students make the most out of every snowy moment. This year, Kingston faced a big snowstorm, which led to multiple surprising snow days that students excitedly enjoyed. Snow days are a perfect way to enjoy fun activities and relax and give students and faculty a break from the usual school schedule. 

While boarding students were stuck on campus, there were many fun activities on campus to keep them occupied. Throughout the day, students not only played in the snow, but competed for society points with competitions for creating snow angels and snowmen on back campus. Zuzana Havlickova ‘26 said “Even when it is freezing, it is always really fun to sleep in for extra time, hang out with friends, and play in the snow.” The fun did not stop there, students had snowball fights and went sledding down steep hills in Kirby Park. Melia Benetos ‘26 mentions how “[She] loves snow days! [Her] favorite thing to do on a snowy day is to go sledding and play in the snow!” 

Although some students love the outdoor snow day adventures, many students prefer to stay bundled up inside, watching movies and playing games. Kaila Chung ‘27 “loves to put on a movie and play Roblox games, while enjoying [her] favorite winter beverage, hot chocolate.”  For other students, snow days are the perfect opportunity to enjoy their hobbies. Nancy Dahal ‘28 “loves to paint, read, or do puzzles [on snow days]. It makes [her] feel more connected with [her] passions and lets [her] relax without feeling bored!” While everyone may not spend a snow day the same way, everyone makes the most of them!

As the weather forecast calls for more snow in the weeks ahead, many students are looking forward to even more snow days! Playing outside in the snow or staying cozy indoors, what are some ways you spend your snow days? 

“Howdy Homecoming”

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By Ayza Ali ‘28

Wyoming Seminary’s Homecoming Dance is always one of the most anticipated events of the year; 2025’s event opened up the dance floor for a night to remember. Following an unfortunate Homecoming football game loss, students mustered up their school spirit once again for the dance. Held on October 11, 2025, the dance brought the entire school together for a night of dancing, fun, and memories. With help from both students and faculty, the gym was transformed into a dazzling dance floor. 

The Homecoming Dance turned out to be a success, especially since this year was the first time a dance introduced a theme. The theme, Western Rodeo, added another layer of excitement to the night and made the event more unique and memorable. Although some students weren’t fond of the theme chosen, most were pleased with the idea of having a theme at all. True Blue assisted with the dance preparations and in accordance with the theme, spruced up the gym with Western decorations. From haystacks to a mini photobooth to a giant “Hoco” sign, “the decorations matched the theme perfectly, [creating] a nice vibe in the gym” gushed Sadahlia Poepperling ‘27. Aside from the decorations, many students themselves also embraced the theme by donning cowboy hats and boots to add a Western touch to their outfits. The dance itself had a wonderful turnout, joining the community together for an energetic night.

All this is not to say that there was no room for improvement. The biggest concern students had was with the music. Although most songs matched the mood of the night, students weren’t too fond that each song was played whole, instead of the DJ blending songs together. Eshaal Ahmad ‘26 specifically pointed out,“the songs were fine, but they lasted too long. It wasn’t as enjoyable as previous dances.” Many others had similar opinions and found it hard to engage with the playlist and left the dance floor. Aside from the music, students also found the food selection (pretzel bites, brownies, and cookies) to be a bit unappealing. Eshaal Ahmad ‘26 again, sighed “of course we weren’t expecting a whole meal, but it could’ve been better.” However, the disappointment created by the tunes and finger foods did not overpower general enjoyment; students ultimately left the dance with smiles and memories for life.

Overall, the 2025 Homecoming Dance was a memorable night that brought the Wyoming Seminary community together in a fun and festive atmosphere. Creating themes for dances added a new and exciting element. It’s also very clear that students and faculty put a lot of effort into making the night special. While there were some things that could have been improved, they are small details compared to the success of the event. The night showcased student’s love for school events and set a clear foundation for future dances.

New BNT Company Centered On Mental Health

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By Michael DeMuro ‘27

Over the summer of 2025, Emmanuel Onyemali ’26, a Senior Wyoming Seminary student, and Levi Sprague started a new clothing company named Better Next Time (BNT). Not only does BNT sell a wide variety of high-quality clothing, but it also serves as a platform to spread mental health awareness through its message, ‘Better next time.’ This message serves not as an excuse, but as permission to fail, as well as motivation for improvement. Whether it’s a loss in a wrestling match, a bad performance in football, or a failing grade on a test, the message means that next time, you will be better, you will not make the same mistakes, and you will slowly become an improved version of yourself.

Onyemali’s inspiration for creating this clothing brand was his mother, and their struggle together during their transition from Nigeria to Canada about seven years ago. When things began to settle down for him and his family, he decided to use his story of strength to help his friends and family, who he knew struggled with mental health. Onyemali decided to use clothing as the main way to market his message because the way we armor our bodies with clothes is the way we should armor our minds with positive energy and the ability to control how we react to tough situations. 

Currently, BNT has around 500 followers across all social media platforms and is growing steadily. In fact, BNT has been named the number one small business in Canada for 2025. Additionally, Onyemali was featured on CBC national radio to talk about his company and the message that it delivers. When asked how BNT reflects Wyoming Seminary, Rachel Bartron, Head of the Upper School campus, said, “…Better Next Time is the constant conversation that our adults and students have regarding anything that students are doing.” 

The way that the name, Better Next Time, was created is also quite extraordinary. As Onyemali put it, “When I thought about the name, it appeared to me in a dream a month prior… fast forward a month, and I’m sitting in my basement, and it kinda just popped in my head, like a downward from God Himself.” It was also conveniently short and catchy, so he stuck with it, giving the world the powerful movement that we have now. 

When asked about the ultimate legacy Onyemali wants to leave behind with his company, he said, “The biggest legacy is healing. Healing generations by spreading a good message. That is the legacy I want to and I will leave behind.”