Category: Features

Student Spotlight: September 21, 2018

Posted on by

Jason Kcehowksi ’19 stands on the football field(Photo Courtesy of Jason Kcehowski ’19).

 

Jason Kcehowski ‘19

By Reese Butcher ‘20

Q:You win $10 million dollars, what’s the very first thing you do? How do you use it?

 

A: I would take all of my friends on a vacation together anywhere in the world, after football season of course.

 

Q: If you owned a football team, what would it be called and why?

 

A: The Sacramento Silverbacks – I love monkeys and gorillas, and silverbacks are mean gorillas, [something] to be afraid of.

 

Q: What three things would you bring with you on a deserted and why?

 

A: Case of Lemonade – The best drink in the world, My girlfriend – My best friend to keep me company, Magic Genie Lamp – To get off the island

 

Q: What is one thing you would like everyone to know about you?

 

A:  I’m a huge soccer fan believe it or not, but American football is the real football.

Wyoming Seminary Mock Trial Returns from Invitationals

Posted on by

The Blue and White Team are pictured here after the closing ceremonies of the LaSalle University Invitational.

By Shailee Desai ’21

On January 21, students of the Wyoming Seminary Mock Trial team returned to Sem after competing in their second preseason competition of the year.

After weeks of preparation, the team traveled to LaSalle University’s Blue and Gold Invitational and UPenn’s Ben Franklin Invitational. It was the first time Sem Mock Trial competed with three teams at LaSalle and two at UPenn.

At LaSalle’s invitational, Sem Mock Trial’s Blue Team placed first, with a perfect record of 8-0, the White Team B team placed 4th, with a record of 7-1, and the White Team C held a winning record of 5-3. At UPenn’s Iinvitational, the Blue Team finished in first place, with a record of 8-0 (leaving them with a 16-0 record for the preseason), and the White Team B had a winning record of 5-3. This was the first time that Sem Mock Trial won two preseason tournaments in the same year. Additionally, Molly Leahy won two Top Witness awards, and Meghna Melkote received a Top Attorney award.

After two weekends of winning, the team remains dedicated, considering the next stop is advancing to the state competition. “Nothing has changed,” said Phil Ouellette. “We still have to practice consistently and work hard. Our material and performance can always be better and will continue to get better.” Morgan Price credits this dedication for their performance over the weekend. She says, “The feeling when all that hard work pays off is one you can’t describe. I’m just so proud of everyone and can’t wait for the next step in our journey.”

Investigative Journalism Reveals Secret Sem Tunnels

Posted on by

By Eli Idec ’18

Even at the lower school, I remember hearing stories about the mysterious tunnels underneath sem. Perhaps the most far-fetched was of a tunnel connecting the lower school all the way to upper school, but as a young middle school student the myths seemed like a possible reality. A few weeks ago while signing up for activities at the class meeting, I noticed one that caught my attention, the “Labyrinth Walk.” Without thinking I signed up, hoping I would finally get to the famed tunnels. Instead, we walked through a chalk “labyrinth” on back campus created by Mr. Pons. While the experience certainly was enlightening, it was not exactly was I had expected.

Intrigued, I set about find if there even were tunnels under the school. So, with the help of Mrs. Swaback, I got in touch with Benjamin Schall, the physical plant manager for Wyoming Seminary. Generously, Mr. Schall agreed to share a little information. According to him the “tunnels are only utility passages that allow utility lines such as steam lines to interconnect some buildings on campus.” While there is nothing “mysterious” about them these tunnels are still intriguing. Unfortunately they are “off-limits for access by students and most emplyees” according to Schall.

In an effort to learn even more about the tunnels, I asked Mrs. Swaback who has ventured into them before. She said that they were much bigger than she thought, and that it was very cool down there. “Some were very large and some were so narrow you had to squeeze through.” Although I will most likely never enter the tunnels, several other students have shown interest in exploring them. Maybe someday we will be able to convince the administrators to allow us to venture into the tunnels. Until then, they remain a mystery to the students of Wyoming Seminary.

Next time you are walking to class, pause and think: there just might be a tunnel underneath your feet.