Category: Features

by Helena Prusak ’23

Are you aware of just how much kindness surrounds you? Don’t be alarmed if you cannot answer this question–most people will not be able to. However, there is a club at Wyoming Seminary that can help with an answer. Dude. Be Nice is all about highlighting and celebrating acts of kindness that might not be noticed or appreciated. 

Dude. Be Nice is a nationwide organization that was brought to Sem around six years ago. Claire Stretanski ‘23, a leader of Dude. Be Nice, said, “My favorite thing about Dude. Be Nice is the message. I think it is such a simple message, but it is so important. Kindness is something that people of all ages can learn.” 

The club is constantly active, but every year there is a focus week to highlight the club’s message. This year, Dude. Be Nice Week was from April 25th to April 29th. Each day in the week had a special theme. These themes included Make Someone Happy Monday, Take Care of the World Tuesday, Kind Deed Wednesday, and Teamwork Thursday. Friday wrapped up the week with a closing assembly. 

For this years assembly, awards were given out to students and teachers to highlight kindness that would not otherwise be rewarded. Stretanski said, “I think recognizing kindness is extremely important, especially in a school setting. Schools need something to bring positivity to campus, and recognizing students for being kind is a great way to do that.” Closing out a week that focuses on applauding kindness in the Sem community by giving standing ovations to people who have been especially kind to others reinforces the club’s goal. 

Dude. Be Nice is special because it is one of the only clubs that involves the entire Sem community. Lucy Lew ‘24, the liason for Dude. Be Nice at the Lower School, said, “Because there are some younger kids at the Lower School, we really try to remind kids that kindness doesn’t just stop after this week. It is just simply highlighted!” 

Dude. Be Nice’s message remains consistent between both campuses. Lew said, “The Lower School had the same themes as the Upper School and even some similar activities, such as putting sticky notes up.” When both the Upper School and Lower School are participating in the same activities to promote kindness, the entirety of the Sem community is connected. 

Dude Be. Nice has a strong presence at Sem. The club’s message is infectious and spreads like wildfire across both campuses. Kindness is always present, but it is celebrated, highlighted, and spread by Dude. Be Nice. 

By Helena Prusak ’23 and Kim Nguyen ‘23

Are you looking for a new club to join? One that gives you the opportunity to relax or even a place to channel your competitiveness? Well, chess club might be the perfect fit for you. You may have seen the eye-catching emails in your inbox from its club leader Thomas Figura ‘23 (Figgy). Whether it is through its witty subject lines or the bribing of chocolate.

While the club isn’t brand new, it has now been restarted by Figgy and Marshall Curtis ‘22. If you are concerned about your chess abilities, no worries! Figgy reassures that “all skill levels are welcome and we are willing to teach anyone.” It’s open to everyone so you can show off your chess skills and defeat the competition. Or you can learn how to play, whether you have been meaning to or not. Although, in the future, the leaders plan to compete with other schools.

Chess club is a welcoming, yet competitive, club where members can easily meet new people. Cade (Hayden) Butcher ‘24 joined the club because he thought it could be interesting, but learned to enjoy the game through participating in the club. He says, “It is just very interesting to see how the people in the club really want to learn how to play. Chess is an interesting, strategic board game that requires thinking ahead. One mistake could cost you the game during an intense moment. But, it makes you feel good when you are able to outplay someone, especially when you win.” He says that hopes that the club will continue to expand, and hopes “that more people join chess club and enjoy it similar to the way that I and others in chess club do.” 

The club meets every Monday after school in the library. There are chess mats set up and you are free to play. Join the others who enjoyed their time at chess club. CHECK it out ;)!

By:McKayla Williams ‘24

Inspired students have banded together to bring some extra color and light to the Dean’s office by turning Mrs. Ediam’s chalkboard into a masterpiece. 

Four weeks ago, Mrs. Ediam of the Dean’s office, reached out to the Sem campus for any students, staff, or faculty with a little creativity to spare in order to make the Dean’s office a brighter working space, and was met with enormous talent. Alla Staroseltseva’s (‘22) work was the first to be displayed on the chalkboard next to Mrs. Eidam’s desk and the project has only taken off from there. 

The newest chalk artwork was announced to the Upper school on February second and has garnered a lot of attention since then. This artwork was created by four students, Paige Collins (‘22), Emera Humphreys (‘23), Evan Swartz (‘22), and Victoria Smulowitz(‘22).   “It’s brought positivity and joy,” Mrs. Ediam said about the newest artwork. Paige Collins was interviewed about this chalk art. “I was inspired by some photos of women in nature so I drew the girl in a dress sitting in a landscape,” she said.  As she worked on the centerpiece of the chalkboard, her peers joined in and began to draw from their own imaginations and it all ended up blending into the art piece that is so well loved in the Dean’s Office. Collins enjoyed working with her peers and seeing how their different art styles were visible through the different ways they worked the medium while also enjoying it for herself as chalk is very similar to her favorite medium, chalk pastels. When asked about the challenges that came with working on the chalkboard, her response was, “…to not rest my hand on the chalkboard, otherwise I would have smeared it.”

These beautiful pieces done in chalk bring a little extra light and creativity to the Dean’s office while also representing the diverse talent found at Wyoming Seminary while offering an outlet for our very own artists to continue to showcase their abilities while contributing to the beauty of our school populace.