Category: News

By Ryan Kersey ’25

For the third year in a row, Wyoming Seminary’s Health and Wellness Center held its Stress Less Fair in the lobby of the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. Tuesday night, October 15, from 6 pm to 8 pm, faculty and students enjoyed everything from massages to giveaways.

This year there were a variety of booths, featuring returning organizations as well as new local resources and businesses. Wyoming Seminary’s very own Metz Cooking Staff servers delicious and healthy refreshments for everyone at the fair to enjoy. The Thaxton Holistic Wellness Center of Scranton provided massages and some local community members brought in their therapy dogs.

Head Therapist and Counselor at Wyoming Seminary and main organizer of the event Laura Kluck said, “We like to host the Stress Less Fair because this gives an opportunity for students to learn different coping skills, learn what agencies are in the area that can help with Mental Health, and it gives students the opportunity to make different tools to help them relax.” Kluck went on to talk about those tools that students could make such as essential oil rollers, stress balls, and journals. Head Nurse and fellow fair organizer, Emily McHugh, echoed Kluck’s words when she said the Stress Less Fair “allows students a space and time to prioritize their mental health.”

McHugh also highlighted the importance of the Stress Less fair when she said “I believe the fair is important as there are not many events for our community geared specifically towards mental health and wellbeing. It aims to be a casual and carefree event in the midst of an otherwise challenging and rigorous environment.”

No matter what kids participated in it is clear this was a stress-free, calm, and caring environment.

by Liz Mantush ’25

On Friday, September 6th, Mr. Martin Mooney was officially Installed as Wyoming Seminary’s 15 Head of School after almost a year and a half of coming to know and love our community. He was surrounded by his peers, friends, family, and students from both the Upper and Lower School campuses. The ceremony was preceded by Mr. Mooney’s favorite way to begin an event, whether it’s graduation or his own installation, a pipe band. As the band played, faculty entered the building in their academic regalia, led by a team of SEM students acting as flag bearers, proudly displaying the array of countries that Wyoming Seminary represents.

Seated on-stage among Mr. Mooney were his colleagues, Anthony Berger, Raymond Cabot, Rev. Charles Carrick, Jay Harvey, Kathryn Mercado, and student speaker Ifechi (Chi) Ebi-Ekweozoh. 

Levi Sprague Fellow, Ifechi (Chi) Ebi-Ekweozoh began the ceremony with a moving speech regarding Mr. Mooney, touching on both the impact he has had on her and the friendship that they have built over the past year. She spoke on her feelings and hopes for SEM’s future, as well as Mr. Mooney’s character. To both Chi and all of Wyoming Seminary, we are “on the right track” as we enter a new era of growth, change, and excitement. As a Levi Sprague, Chi exemplifies the core values of Wyoming Seminary, and the connection that Mr. Mooney has built not only with Ebi-Ekweozoh  but the entire student body is something that brings hope to all parts of our campus.

Over the last year Mooney has made himself a “noticeable and welcoming presence,” Ebi-Ekweozoh said. Whether it’s a handshake, a smile in passing, or a conversation over lunch, Mooney has solidified himself as a kind and approachable face on our campus. His belief that “community must be built” comes  from years of experience in the world of teaching and mentoring young people.

Over the last year, Mr. Mooney has made himself a “noticeable and welcoming presence” Ebi-Ekweozoh said. Whether it’s a handshake, a smile in passing, or a conversation over lunch, Mr. Mooney has solidified himself as a kind and approachable face on our campus. His belief that “community must be built” comes from years of experience in the world of teaching and mentoring young people. 

Earning his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth, following that with a masters from Middlebury College, Mr. Mooney went on to teach English at Peddie and Hill, where he solidified his love for teaching. Before his time at SEM, Mr. Mooney held multiple offices at The Hill School and Peddie, such as the Alumni and College offices.

Mr. Mooney’s experience in both administration and teaching has caused him to have a genuine affinity with students, their lives, goals, and achievements. When speaking to him, he makes it a point to make you feel special, like he’s truly hearing what you have to say. Mr. Mooney truthfully stated that “SEM’s resilience has been tested over the last 5 years” but it’s safe to say that Mr. Mooney’s addition to our school will bring nothing but growth, and our community.

by Finn Ruderman ’25

Just for a second, put yourself in their shoes. You wake up and instead of a daily morning routine, you have to grab your empty five gallon water container—weighing over 40 pounds when full—and set out on your walk to a water reserve roughly five miles away. 

For almost everyone in rural Burkina Faso, this is their everyday lives. There is no running water, and the water obtained from these daily treks is almost always dirty and unsafe to drink. This, as you can probably imagine, causes a lot of problems for those in this situation. These problems are exactly what those involved in the recent Walk For Water conducted here at Sem sought to resolve.

For the past couple of years, Sem has partnered with the Barka Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those without access to clean water in Burkina Faso through the implementation of water wells in different villages throughout the eastern part of the country. For this past walk, all of the funds generated went directly to the new well-building project in the village Fada-N’gourma. 

The walk, organized by the Upper and Lower Schools’ Environmental Clubs and myself, was a fully in person event for the first time since Sem has started doing them. 57 Sem students, faculty, and friends, along with five dogs, came together on April 21st to walk from back campus, to Kirby Park, and back for a total of around three miles all whilst carrying jugs and containers of water in an effort to simulate, even in a very small way, the journey that the residents of Fada need to make daily to get their water.

In total, the walk managed to raise over $2,000, roughly one-fifth of the total cost of the well—a fairly significant amount. As always, one of the main purposes of the Walk For Water, aside from raising money, is to call attention to certain aspects of life (in this case, having access to clean/fresh water) which you may unconsciously take for granted, all while others who go without are struggling.

For all those who helped in any way, I offer you a sincere thank you.  And to those who missed it this year, the Walk for Water will be an annual event, so there will be more opportunities to come.