Category: Features

Teachers’ Pets: Introducing Felix

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Felix poses for a Picture at Sem

Teachers’ Pets: Introducing Felix

By Isabelle Polgar ‘21

When the beautiful pups Luci and Lola recommended Mrs. Gensel’s Felix as the next teacher’s pet I should interview, I was excited, but a little apprehensive. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the pup, although he was quite different then the previous pups I interviewed. While Luci and Lola are down to earth celebrities, Felix has an air of mystery. He loves playing people, saying his one message to students would be for them to “come meet me, and give me all of the treats!” 

Felix said being a dorm dog is perfect for him because he gets to hang out with the girls of Swetland every day. He also adores toys, carrying around a stuffed koala bear wherever he goes. His love of koalas is so extreme he has tried his best to become one: he loves to chill, sleep (he can sleep anywhere), and listen to indie music you’ve probably never heard. Also like koalas, he loves food, and he’s always racing to finish his fast as he can. In fact, he is the current school record holder for the society day pizza-eating contest, and he is always supplementing his diet with a large array of shoes. His love of koalas runs so deep that when I asked him what his spirit animal is, he responded with profound insight, saying that a koala is not only his spirit animal but also his soul animal. It seems we can all stand to learn from this wise dog.

 

Felix with his sloth friend

Felix also gets along with almost every other animal. His best doggie friend is Achilles, and if you’re lucky you can spot them playing in his favorite place on campus: behind the SLRC. He also loves other animals, especially his brothers, two very chunky, very lazy, and very lovable guinea pigs; he’s always sticking his nose next to their cage to play with them. Felix is extremely smart; in fact, he’s almost too smart. He can get food out of any puzzle toy almost immediately and is very good at learning commands. His intelligence is so outstanding that he has decided his most likely job on campus would be as an AP Calculus teacher (watch out Mrs. Rickrode and Mrs. McGowan!). He is always observing, and if you stop paying attention for too long, he will find a way to get what he wants, which is usually your shoes.

Breaking through his air of mystery, I found some even more unexpected facts about him. He spends a large portion of his time on his windowsill, observing the campus. He also said if he could play any sport on campus it would be football because when he wants something, like a ball, he will take anything in his path out to get it. However, all of this leads me to the presence of the disconcerting facts of his intelligence, determination, and his alliance with all the girls of Swetland and the other campus pets. These, coupled with a statement from his mom, saying “you can tell when he’s plotting, there is a look in his eyes, almost like an evil mastermind”, bring to mind suspicious activity. With his need for shoes, food, and people to play with him, as well as an iron will, I ask, what is he plotting? And, what should we do about it? Also, if he really is an evil mastermind, how can we stop him? I don’t have any definitive answers, but I did learn the only two things that scare him: hairdryers and the iconic daughter of Ms. Traill and Mr. Fisher, Bea. She seems to be our only hope if Felix decides he wants to take over Sem or even the world. Maybe, one day soon (maybe even before the next edition of Teachers’ Pets), Bea armed with a hairdryer will be on a mission to save us all. 

Spooky Season: Teacher Edition

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Spooky Season: Teacher Edition

By Grace Parsons ’21 and Maddie Olshemski ’23

Do you know the reason for which we celebrate Halloween? Halloween was originally a time in which the Celts of ancient Britain would wear masks and other disguises to ward off ghosts. Spooky, right? Well, Halloween is right around the corner, and ACE club and the Levi-Spragues have a super spooky time planned for you right here at Sem this Friday and Saturday. On that note, The Opinator hopes you are ready for pumpkin carving, a haunted house, a scary movie, and an overall fun weekend with your friends! To kick off this ~spooky-filled~  Halloween-themed week, this teacher questionnaire is a must-read! Several of your class deans, teachers, and advisors have been asked to answer a few questions about their Halloween interests, fears, and childhood memories, so check them out!

What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a kid, and why?

Mr. Pons: “In first grade, I was a calculator. My brother was Darth Vader.”

Mrs. Mozeleski: “My favorite costume was either my fully outfitted fly fisherman outfit or 

when I was Martha Stewart in prison.”

Mr. Sherry: “One year, I made my own robot costume out of tinfoil-covered cardboard boxes with a working slot in the front that opened so the people could drop candy into it.”

Mr. Dinsmore: “Luke Skywalker – what more needs to be said?  It was the first movie I saw. Epic!”

Mr. Morris: “I had an awesome Luke Skywalker costume one year. It was the best! I remember the original Star Wars (yes, I saw it in a theater, so yes, I’m old) really captivated me, so that costume allowed me to channel what I envisioned my inner Jedi to be.”

Dr. Kaschak: “My favorite childhood costume was a hockey goalie. It was a welcome break from being a baseball player for Halloween.”

Mrs. Swaback:  “We had one of my mom’s nurse uniforms, and we would alter it to be a diabolical nurse … crazy wig, large fake needle, rubber gloves and fake blood!” 

Mr. Shafer: “My favorite Halloween costume was Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat.”

What is the scariest movie you have watched?

Mr. Pons: “28 Days Later. It could happen, right?  Look at measles.”

Mrs. Mozeleski: “Scariest movie was Scream, and it was the first and last real horror movie I watched, and I didn’t make it the whole way through it.”

Mrs. Bartron: “I still think The Exorcist is one of the scariest movies ever.”

Mr. Sherry: “It’s not really a horror movie, but I don’t think I’ve ever fully recovered from the ending of Time Bandits.”

Mr. Morris: “Alien (the original) scared the heck out of me when I first saw it way back in the day.  Dark, creepy, scary, gross – almost like a sci-fi haunted house.”

Rev Carrick: “Terror Train – made me jump too many times!”

Dr. Kaschak: “It’s a tie between The Exorcist and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Mrs. Swaback: “Happy Birthday to Me. I’ll never forget it. There was a movie theater in Pittston that allowed you into R rated movies. We were probably in middle school. I have never voluntarily watched a horror movie again. I’ll never forget the last scene when they were all around a table with a birthday cake!”

Mr. Shafer: “Scariest movie is a really tough one. I love horror movies, so I’ve seen a ton, but that makes it very hard for them to leave a lasting impression. I do remember that the movie Piranha absolutely terrified me as a child to the point that I was convinced I would die if I went in the Sem pool. More recently, I think The Strangers is my favorite.”

Would you rather be stalked by Micheal Myers or Freddy Krueger?

Mr. Pons: “Freddy. I love to sleep, but not summer camp.”

Mrs. Mozeleski: “Michael Myers without a doubt …”

Mr. Ris: “I’m not really too familiar with either of them.  I was about to say Michael Myers because he would cause me to laugh myself to death, but then I looked up Michael Myers’s photo and learned he was not the same actor as the famous SNL comedian.”

Mr. Sherry: “Freddy Krueger. Halloween is usually right around fall musical tech week, so I wouldn’t be asleep enough for him to get me in my dreams.”

Mr. Dinsmore: “Micheal Myers. At least I could find a safe place to sleep, and I have a bigger chain-saw than he does.”

Mr. Harvey: “Michael Myers. I like my sleep and would hate to think that Freddy Kueger was messing with it.”

Dr. Kaschak: “I would rather be stalked by Michael Myers. He is a less capable killer than Freddy Krueger.”

Mr. Shafer: “100% Michael Myers. He’s just a regular dude. Freddy Krueger is supernatural, which makes him way harder to shake. Plus, I need my beauty rest, so I can’t have anybody messing up my dreams.”

Are you one to be scared easily?

Mr. Pons: “OMG yes.”

Mr. Ris: ” I’m not sure if I scare easily, or if I just enjoy being scared. I will generally go all out to be genuinely scared.”

Mrs. Bartron: “Not so much. I’m fairly tough.”

Mr. Sherry: “I wouldn’t say scared, no. But I’ll jump/yell/throw something when I’m caught off guard.”

Mr. Morris: “Interesting question. I do still enjoy a good movie that plays with your mind. Signs for example.”

Rev Carrick: “I am a big jumper when it comes to movies.”

Mr. Harvey: “I like scary movies, but that being said, I do scare fairly easily.”

Mr. Shafer: “Only jump scares get me, but I always end up laughing after. I do tend to scare myself in some way because of my wild imagination.”

If you were in a horror movie, would you be the last person standing, the first to die, the comic relief, the smart one, or the killer, and why?

Mr. Pons: “Comic relief.  If you can’t laugh, what’s the point of living?”

Mrs. Mozeleski: “If I were in a horror movie, I would be in a living hell, but I would definitely try to outsmart the killer. So, consider me the smart one who would probably also be the first one to die.”

Mr. Ris: “While I enjoy being scared, I would not be any of the really stupid ones who went into the haunted house at night in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm, or who wandered into a dark cave from which no one had ever come out alive, or any other comparably dubious situation. So I guess I would be the smart one who did not follow all his friends into certain death.”

Mrs. Bartron: “Perhaps the comic relief and the distractor – hopefully the smart one!”

Mr. Sherry: “I’d be the scraggly-bearded guy who had survived a run-in with the monster/killer in the past and warns the new potential victims, only to later die when I try to help them because they didn’t listen to my warning (basically Death-By-I-Told-You-So).”

Rev Carrick: “Well, comic reliefs have a good survival rate …”

Dr. Kaschak: “Having watched a lot of horror movies growing up, I think I learned enough to be the smart one in a horror movie.”

Mr. Shafer: “I think I’d be the killer. Kind of like Amanda from Saw II. I’ve been through it enough times that it’s time for me to make my own games. Want to play?”

Student Spotlight: Emily Urbanski

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Student Spotlight: Emily Urbanski

by Shailee Desai ’21

As co-leader of Math Center, captain of the tennis team, a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist, Levi Sprague (and so much more), senior Emily Urbanski’s presence on campus is hard to ignore.  The Opinator has been dying to get the answers to all of your questions about this car loving, healthy eating, donut loving (tennis donuts, not real ones) student leader, and we’ve done just that. In this week’s edition of Student Spotlight, get to know Emily:

What is your favorite book?

Maus by Art Spiegelman (Shout out to Seminar!). Since it’s a graphic novel, the author uses not only text but pictures (comic strips) to tell the story. I enjoyed analyzing the artistic choices and composition of each page as well as reading the story. 

What is your favorite part about living at Sem? 

I love meeting and getting to know all the boarding students and learning about their cultures, especially international students. 

What type of music do you like?

Pretty much anything… pop, rap, classic rock, etc. with the exception of most country songs. 

As you’re in the midst of college applications, what advice do you have for juniors, sophomores, and freshmen about getting ready to apply?

Start visiting colleges early to get a feel for what you like! Also, don’t stress about not knowing your major, since most colleges let you apply undecided and allow you to change majors easily. Explore classes at Sem to find your interests, but don’t worry if you don’t have it figured out when it’s time to apply. 

What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

Definitely hiking. It’s an enjoyable way to exercise, and the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a hike— like when you reach the summit of a mountain or a waterfall—is so satisfying.  

As one of the captains of the tennis team, what is your goal for the season? 

Winning districts is definitely the biggest goal, but working well as a team and having fun with the season are also important goals that I think we’ve crushed so far. 

If you could have dinner with any famous person (living or dead) who would it be, and why?

I’d probably have dinner with Roger Federer. I’d ask him about how he’s been so successful as a tennis player and about his first-hand experiences from the biggest matches of his career. I think it’d be so cool to hear his perspective on how he handled championship point on Centre Court at Wimbledon, and it’d be amazing to hear about his best and worst moments during tournaments, too.  

What is something that nobody knows about you? 

Probably my love of cars. Most of my friends are surprised when I know the model and price of random cars I see on the road. And my dream car is a Lamborghini. 🙂