Category: News

By: Ruby Hackett ‘23 

Wyoming Seminary opened its doors the weekend of October 20-22 for Homecoming Parents Weekend. This weekend marked the first in-person parents weekend since 2019 due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

Upper School Parents traveled to Kingston, Pennsylvania, to visit their children on campus. They attended parent-teacher conferences, talked with dorm parents, and attended homecoming events. This weekend was filled with numerous activities for parents and students to partake in. 

It kicked off on a Thursday at 7 p.m. with a Climate Science Suitability and STEM Presentation in the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts Auditorium. Then on Friday, Sem Students had classes from 8 a.m. to Noon. Unlike the 2019 Parents Weekend, where parents were allowed to attend classes, classes took place without parents attending. 

From 12 p.m. to 1 p.m there was a welcome lunch in Fleck Dining Hall for parents. Following lunch, Parent-Teacher Conferences were held until 5p.m. Beginning at 4:30 p.m. and ending around 6 p.m., President Rocha hosted a Welcome Cocktail Event at his home on Maple Avenue. This was an opportunity for parents to meet other Sem parents, members of the Upper Schools Parent Association, Deans, and Department Chairs. 

Following this event, Jeff Selingo, author of Who Gets In and Why, talked about the college admission process over Zoom. Selingo shared advice, tips, and strategies for admission into highly selective colleges and universities. This event was located in the Chorale Classroom in the KCCA. 

The next day began at 9 a.m. with a meeting with College Counseling for “All Aboard the College Express.” Parents could meet with college counseling in Sprague Hall to talk about their child’s college process. Following that, conferences continued from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. 

At 1 p.m. in Nesbit Stadium, the Blue Knights Football Team took on Williston Northampton. Students, faculty, parents, and friends gathered to pack the bleachers to support the team. During halftime, The Alumni Service Award was given to two seniors out of the eight nominated. This is awarded annually to student leaders for their commitment to the Wyoming Seminary community. 

While this weekend was loved by pare​​nts as they got to see their child, meet teachers and celebrate accomplishments, students felt differently about their parents coming to visit. When asked if she wanted her parents to partake in parents weekend, Tessely Solano’23 stated, “I did not want my parents to come. They already know my grades; it’s pointless for them to drive all the way from New Jersey.” Belle Foard ‘23 agreed, stating, “ I’m glad my parents didn’t come.” Parents Weekend is perceived differently by students. Some look forward to sharing this weekend with their parents, while others feel there is no need for parents to come. 

by Maya Rosenthal ’23

On Oct. 17, 2022, the spirit week dress down got students excited about the upcoming football game against Williston Northampton School. The themes were Throwback Monday, Celebrity Tuesday, Societies Wednesday, Little Miss Thursday, and Homecoming Shirt Friday. “I always love Spirit Week- every person takes it in their own direction and seems to have fun with it! I am always up for taking requests and themes. This year’s themes were definitely student driven which is what we are all here for” says Ms. T, Director of Student Activities. Some of the themes even got changed due to students taking action. 

Monday was throwback day. A variety of different decades were displayed through the way people dressed and the band t-shirts that were worn. Popular styles that day include the early 2000’s or Y2K style and hippies. On Tuesday, students dressed up as characters and celebrities. We saw a wide range of outfits including cartoon character t-shirts, Adam Sandler, and Santa Claus. Wednesday was society dress up and everyone really got into the spirit. This day was a competition between the societies. Students were rated one through three. This incentive made people go all out, “Society Colors Day this year was taken so seriously and it was a blast” says Ms. T. The standings in the end were Oxonian in first, Athenian second, Florentine third, and Alexandrian in last place. Thursday’s little miss day had people giving themselves superlatives including Little Miss Sleepy. Friday everyone wore their homecoming shirts in preparation for the football game on Saturday. 

Ruby Hackett ‘23 expressed her opinion on spirit week by saying, “I like the idea of it but I personally don’t like dressing down with certain criteria. It is hard to dress up as a character or in throwback clothes with short notice.” Ford Boock ‘23 says, “Some people got more into the spirit than others, but everyone still had fun. Spirit week effectively got people excited for the big football game and it was very exciting. The student section was packed with students even though it ended in an unfortunate loss for the football team in overtime.”  

by Kim Nguyen ’23

Fully in-person, the 10th annual Sem Dance Marathon was held on Saturday, April 9. SemDM is student-run and works with the Children’s Miracle Network to raise money for the local Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. In the upcoming weeks before the main event, many opportunities are held to raise money. The main way to donate is on Sem’s Donor Drive website. On-campus there were bake sales, a dress-down day, and music during lunch. Local businesses also pitched in with Rita’s and Melt Hot Yoga holding fundraisers. 

It was held in the Blue Gym with colorful posters placed on the walls, streamers, and lights strewn. The main event included the four miracle children. Each accompanied by their family they were introduced with a video describing their journey. Kimmie, Martin, Laila, and Emma were all assisted by the Children’s Miracle Network. After the introduction, there were various events like the morale dance, lip sync battles, and Just Dance Battles. There were also more opportunities to donate like raffles or bidding for the chance to pie a teacher in the face. Then there is the bracelet cutting at the end, a more serious event. They are the same bracelets the children wear when they are admitted to Janet Weis. For Mr. Shafer it’s his favorite event saying, “We spend a lot of time having fun, being silly, and celebrating the whole day long. But it’s that moment of silence before it starts, seeing the kids walk around and cut the bands, and hearing our students talk about the real meaning behind the day that makes SEMDM so special and powerful.”

The committee raised a whopping amount of $46,513. While they have been topping their previous amounts each year, almost double was made. When reflecting on the event, Shane Holcombe ‘23 an executive of the Promotion committee, highlighted the energy. “The energy was amazing among the children and the student body. I could see the kids building off the excitement of everyone else. It was my first one when everyone was together.”