Category: News

Ms. Miller’s fall ’25 Journalism class

A report of the recent school shooting in Colorado made its way to Kingston, Pennsylvania, and hit close to home. Even though it was 1,600 miles away, student talk began almost immediately. Conversations started about safety at SEM–the community inquiring about lockdowns, and posing questions we’d rather not have to consider. 

Private schools like Wyoming Seminary are statistically less vulnerable to gun violence than public schools. Between 2000 and 2018, researchers monitored 134 school shootings on or close to K–12 campuses with students in session. There were 122 in public schools yet just eight in private, about 6% to 94%. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NSEC) tells the same story: nearly 20% of public school students identify gang activity at their schools, compared to just 2%. Violent behavior like assaults and fighting also occurs less than half the time than it does in private schools. This fact mainly owes itself to class size, adult supervision, and school climates that foster respect and responsibility. 

Fewer threats, though, does not mean threatless. Sem’s security is systematic: doors that require key cards, personnel patrolling the corridors, and regular emergency drills that involve local authorities. Lockdowns and evacuations take place all year round — not because of news headlines, but to make preparation second nature. The head of school at Wyoming Seminary, Martin Mooney, explains how “we have one or two shelters in place drills, evacuation drills, and fire drills each term.” Campus police officers and CCTVs are involved as well: guards patrol the school throughout the day, watching gates, checking IDs when it’s appropriate, and providing first-response care in an emergency. These things don’t turn the campus into a fortress, but they turn the campus into a place where students can learn without large lingering fear. For most students, these changes do not restrict freedom, but enable it.

Students pay attention. “You feel safer knowing someone is patrolling the halls or doors are locked,” Billy Hall ‘26 said. The Colorado disaster also altered ordinary routines in little ways. Friends called each other more often. Conversations strayed from plans for Friday night to safety and mental health. Students inquired the administration about locking up classrooms or simply promised to look out for each other. 

Sem’s role now is to balance: keep the doors open, but stay alert. The statistics show that the private schools are safer, but alertness is still the best defense. Staying alert is not drills and locks—it is people keeping an eye on each other and looking out for one another. And at Sem, those little, ordinary steps can be the greatest defense.

By: Emily Lin ‘25

Envirothon is an annual competition that happens at Camp Kresge in White Haven, PA. The competition challenges students across five core disciplines: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and a rotating Current Event, which for this year was, “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change”. This year Wyoming Seminary sent a total of 3 teams: Team A, the “Woodcocks,” consisted of Gia Cella ‘25, Kaelee Potoski ‘25, Emily Lin ‘25, Gwen Simbar ‘25, and Eva Blaum ‘25; Team B consisted of Daisy Gao ‘28, Chi Ebi-Ekweozoh ‘25, Coco Kong ‘26, and Nicole Yang ‘26; Team C consisted of George Malloy ‘28, Thomas Li ’28, Kevin Yang ‘25, Ellie Hannon ‘26, and Moira Poepperling ‘25. In the months leading up to the competition, the teams worked together to study the five different topics, creating various study materials and engaging in weekly group sessions where they practiced applying their knowledge to real-world scenarios. 

The competition, which recently took place on April 29, 2025, gave students a chance to connect classroom learning with environmental issues and develop skills in problem-solving, fieldwork, and teamwork. They applied their preparation during the field-based event, completing practical assessments like identifying aquatic organisms, classifying soil types, and analyzing forest health. Through this process, students learned not only scientific facts but also gained a deeper understanding of environmental systems, the challenges facing modern ecosystems, and the importance of forest stewardship in the face of climate change. Team A member Eva Blaum ‘25 especially appreciates the opportunity Envirothon offers to be fully immersed in nature: “Envirothon has really helped me broaden my horizons of environmental knowledge. It’s really helped me see the beauty in all of Pennsylvania’s wildlife diversity and natural systems.” 

The team was wildly successful this year: Team A medaled, coming in second place, and will be going to states which will take place on May 21st at Windber Recreation Park. Gia Cella ‘25, also a member of Team A, when asked about the future “really encourages students to try [Envirothon] out. It’s a uniquely collaborative, informative, and interactive experience that I promise, you won’t regret!”

By: Abby Ryu ‘26

Wyoming Seminary’s annual trivia competition, lovingly referred to as Sem Bowl, is a fan-favorite among students. Christopher Pons, Wyoming Seminary teacher, cat enthusiast, and Sem Bowl master of ceremonies (MC), asks questions contributed by faculty members, ranging from “NEPA” (Northeast Pennsylvania) to theatre. Participants come from every grade level to represent all four societies (Athenian, Oxonian, Alexandrian, and Florentine). The competition, which this year took place Monday, April 28th during morning assembly time, gives participants a special chance to show off knowledge that they most likely would not elsewhere. 

As fun as it might sound, the experience also puts immense pressure on the participants; as a former Sem Bowl competitor myself, one answer really can feel like a life or death choice. When asked about his experience, staple Sem Bowl Oxonian participant Jacob Nivert ‘25 responded “It’s definitely my favorite part of the year. It’s a challenge, and I always feel like I’m about to throw up, but having your whole society behind you, cheering you on, and getting to collaborate with a team makes it all worth it. I’m really going to miss it.” 

While only 16 students actually buzz in, Sem Bowl brings together the whole school community. When asked about her thoughts on the event, devoted Sem Bowl “mega-fan” Eva Blaum ‘25 gushed “I always get really excited for this time of year. The auditorium feels electric–kind of like a lacrosse game–which is really fun!” The entire audience, regardless of society membership, participates, cheering for right answers and holding back frustrated noises for wrong answers. 

As the years have gone by, Mr. Pons’ pre-SEM bowl announcement has certainly become longer and longer, with more reminders that it’s just a game, and no, students should not get that upset over someone incorrectly identifying the sunshine state as California instead of Florida (Shoutout Paul Stevenson ‘24). It is definitely strange to witness as an outsider; nowhere else can you see kids so happy over someone being able to identify the sum of the interior angles of a nonogram. But what else can I say besides “we at SEM show up” (and society allegiances really do run deep).