Category: News

GoodKnight Great Hall: Covid Concerns

Posted on by

GoodKnight Great Hall: Covid Concerns

By Cole Rees ‘21

 

Wyoming Seminary held the #1 ranked wrestling team in the nation last year. This year, the school has yet to open its training facility, the Great Hall, to the boys’ team. This is due to the lack of Covid regulations needed by either the National Federation of High School Associations or the National Prep Wrestling League.

Boys’ team usually had practiced in the Great Hall (Photo by Beau Bartlett ‘20)

Being unable to use the wrestling room on campus has made it difficult for the team to get much-needed training time. However, the coaching staff was able to find an off-campus training site that the team is currently using. Having to travel off-campus for practice is less than ideal for the team’s mostly boarding population. It has been doable in good weather, but the trip could begin to cause issues with the weather getting colder. With boarders not allowed in vehicles and the Great Hall still closed, they must walk to and from practice in upcoming frigid temperatures, rain, and snow. 

The team has remained cheerful and considerate through this process. Current Sem wrestler and border, Dylan Zenion ’23, stated, “Although it makes life a little harder, as long as we can wrestle, I’m okay with it. Although I hope we can get in Great Hall before the winter hits.” Teammate Andrew Donahue ’22 stated similar thoughts when asked how the process has affected him, “It’d be nice to be in Great Hall, I miss it. I understand the school’s thought process, but what’s the difference if we’re training off-campus or on? I feel [bad] for the boarders who have to walk in bad weather conditions.” 

Health should come to the mind of the Sem Administration when making decisions about opening Great Hall in the near future. Wrestlers typically leave practice soaked from sweat and extremely tired. If winter hits and if Great Hall is still closed borders will have to walk over a mile back to campus in icy temperatures while wet, causing health concerns.

Regarding the school’s Covid Regulations and the responsibility the wrestling team has to follow, Head Coach Scott Green stated, “It is a big responsibility for teens to bear, but it is the situation we are in. This type of pressure is part of the package when you belong to the best high school wrestling program in the country.” Efforts to open Great Hall back up for the boys are still underway.

Sem Boys Wrestling Team 2019-2020
(Photo by Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

Student Life During COVID-19

Posted on by

Student Life During COVID-19

By Bridget Gabriel ‘21

Harry Shafer ‘00 looks somber after being captured by excited students two minutes prior to the end of the game (Photo courtesy of @/Semstudentlife on Instagram)

 

Wyoming Seminary’s Upper School began its 177th year without its boarding community that traditionally makes up around 40% of its population due to COVID-19. Students began moving into dorms the weekend of October 3, but residential life has looked unfamiliar. 

Day students have been told that they aren’t allowed to be on campus during weekends. Weekend activities, walks around campus, and socially distant gatherings aren’t permitted for day students, but they can attend weekend sporting events to support the Blue Knights. 

These restrictions hit the Upper School community hard. Ryder Kunin, senior and Carpenter RA, expresses the frustration these regulations bring, “From a dormer standpoint, we are restricted from a lot of things that day students are free to do. I can’t see day students on or off-campus, or venture farther than a mile away from campus, while day students are free to travel to other counties and states with seemingly no restrictions.”

Restrictions go even further within the dorms to keep students safe amidst the pandemic. Kunin continues, “It definitely hasn’t been as enjoyable of a year in comparison to others. We are unable to hang out in one another’s rooms, and that’s been a tough blow to everyone’s social lives. We are able to distantly lounge in common areas, and that’s helped keep connection(s) within the dorms. Of course, we realize why this has to be done, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating.” 

The frustration does not end with borders. Kate O’Brien ’21 is a day student whose friend group is heavily made up of her teammates of the wrestling team at Sem, the majority of whom are borders. She expresses the ways these restrictions have affected her team dynamic, saying, “This year I have to leave right after practices and don’t get to spend time with my team because they are all borders. I look forward to weekend activities because they give students a chance to hang out without all of the stress that surrounds us during the school day. Since day students are not allowed on campus on the weekends, time to hang out with those people has been hard to find.”

Behind the scenes of event planning, Director of Student Life Harry Shafer ’00 has been hard at work to unite the communities safely. This past weekend 100 students participated in a classic Sem event that was revived after four years. Capture the Faculty was the first event of the academic year to involve both communities. “Tonight is the big test,” Shafer said concerning the event, “If things run smoothly tonight, then we will likely continue with having specific on-campus activities where day students are welcome. If that goes well, then we can start to open up more.”

This hopefully provides hope to the Sem community for more on-campus social interaction for both borders and day students. Students are frustrated by the restrictions COVID-19 presented, but faculty are trying to create events that unite students while prioritizing safety.   

The Opinator and COVID-19: An Introduction to the Edition

Posted on by

By Shailee Desai ’21

Two years ago, in celebration of the 175th anniversary of Wyoming Seminary, The Opinator interviewed Mrs. Gail Smallwood, Sem’s Associate Director of Communications. “The overall resiliency of the Wyoming Seminary community is demonstrated over and over again,” said Mrs. Smallwood in reference to Sem’s strength after the financial booms and panics of the 1800’s, the Fire of 1853, the Civil War, World War I and II, and Hurricane Agnes. “The mission of the school continues to energize us and keep us going.”

At the time, neither Mrs. Smallwood nor the Sem community was aware that in just two years, our school would face another test of resiliency: a global pandemic. After erupting in the spring of 2020, COVID-19 has spread to almost every corner of the world, infecting over 23 million people and killing over 800,000. Schools and colleges have been shut down for months, while their students remain at home resuming their classes through virtual methods. Countries have declared national emergencies, and cities have declared lockdowns after shutting down their stores, businesses, and restaurants. Friends and families in quarantine have been separated from their loved ones for months, and the future of the virus still remains uncertain.

Through this, however, the resiliency of the Sem community has yet again shone through; after being separated and quarantined for over five months, Sem students will begin their return to campus on September 8, which will mark the commencement of an untraditional and unprecedented school year.

To both mark the historical importance of this pandemic and to celebrate Sem’s spirit and strength despite the challenges the virus has brought, The Opinator has compiled the first ever summer edition of the newspaper in school history. Containing five articles (including this introduction), the edition will cover sports and the pandemic, Sem’s newest class deans, and misinformation revolving around the virus. We hope you enjoy and remain safe and healthy before we reconvene in just a few weeks.

-The Opinator Staff