Wyoming Seminary
Encyclopedia
Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844 and currently led by President Kip P. Nygren, is a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley
of Northeastern Pennsylvania
, in Kingston
(where the Upper School is located) and Forty Fort
(where the Lower School is located.) It is near the Susquehanna River
and the city of Wilkes-Barre
. "Sem," as it is often called locally, is divided into a lower school of pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and an upper school campus of roughly 450 high school
ers. Both divisions are coeducation
al. Students in grades nine through postgraduate have the option to board
. Slightly less than one half of the Upper School student body lives on campus.
. At the time, it was common practice to call any academy or school a "seminary
." While the school remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church
, it does not primarily educate students for the ministry or priesthood and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The first class of Wyoming Seminary contained 31 students — 17 boys and 14 girls from Pennsylvania and New York. The school's first president was Rueben Nelson. At the time, Kingston was a rural village, and the school raised livestock, grew its own produce, and built a smoke house with which to preserve meat for the winter. After the industrial age
began, the school grew. In the wake of the region's new mining and manufacturing concerns, a dedicated business school was created and a college preparatory program was established.
team participated in the world's first nighttime football game
, playing against Mansfield University (then Mansfield State Normal School). The game ended at halftime due to insufficient lighting, with neither team scoring. The school continually grew as the 20th century dawned, attracting an increasingly larger number of students in the early part of the century and displaying an atmosphere reminiscent of a suburban college campus. During World War I
, parts of the campus were used as training grounds for American soldiers for the war effort from 1917 to 1919. By the early 1950s, Sem expanded to include what is today considered the "lower school," composed of nursery through eighth grade students. In 1951, Sem merged with the Wilkes-Barre Day School to become the region's only independent school to offer a complete program ranging from nursery through secondary school. By the late 1990s, Sem's Lower School - located three miles from Kingston in nearby Forty Fort - expanded their program by adding a prekindergarten-3 program and renaming its nursery school grade as prekindergarten-4.
. Ultimately, Agnes crippled parts of Sem's Upper School campus but Stettler saw to it that these damages would not cripple the school's spirit. Under Stettler's leadership, Sem accepted significant federal aid from the Nixon administration, hand delivered in the form of a check from Sem graduate and Nixon Wilkes-Barre area flood response director Frank Carlucci
, to help revive its campus.
This aid - combined with private money and the sheer willpower and vision of Stettler and his colleagues - helped lead to the construction of the Bell Tower, the Buckingham Performing Arts Center, the Pettebone-Dickson Student Center, renovations in Sprague Hall, and the construction of the Learning Resources Center, which includes a library, several classrooms, admissions offices, and a large conference room. This center is today named the Stettler Learning Resources Center in honor of Dr. Stettler. All of these efforts at the Upper School were completed in a short four year period between 1974 and 1978. In little time, the school's endowment grew significantly, tripling by the early 1990s. At the same time, the school's vibrancy and community spirit was enhanced just years after the flood by the enormous success of the football team under legendary coach Marvin Antinnes. During the late 1970's and early 1980's, Antinnes oversaw over thirty consecutive wins for the team over a period of several seasons. At the time of Stettler's passing in October 2010, he was widely remembered for this work, as The Times Leader
recalled in his obituary that "Stettler not only rebuilt what had been damaged in the flood, he expanded the campus." In the same article, Sem's current vice president of advancement, John H. Shafer, recounted that Stettler “made it possible for Wyoming Seminary to emerge from the flood an even stronger institution.”
dawned. These expansions also included further renovations on its Upper School campus such as the 2006 construction of Klassner Field, named for athletics director Karen Klassner, for field hockey and lacrosse games. Sem also bought a former bank adjacent to its Upper School campus to become the Wyoming Seminary Great Hall, used today by the performing arts department for several concerts and by the Student Activities Committee for a yearly dance. With regards to buildings already on Upper School campus, Sem's Sprague Hall, which includes all administrative offices and three floors of classrooms in all subjects except science, expanded to include a renovated, modernized new wing in 1999. At the Lower School, similar changes were made, including the construction of a new wing for fourth and fifth grade students and a new glass foyer.
In the field of athletics, junior Kristina Benson became in 1993 the first student to join what had previously been an exclusively male varsity ice hockey team. By 2001, Wyoming Seminary's Upper School Men's tennis team won the team state title becoming the first to do so in all of Wyoming Seminary's history. The team was led by Math teacher O. Charles Lull. That same year, the SEM Upper School field hockey team won the state championship title. Since then, the field hockey team, under the leadership of current athletic director and longtime field hockey coach Karen Klassner, has won four other state championships as well, in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. The victory in November 2010 was a lopsided, historically large 5-0 victory. The growth of the school's athletic program also included significant success for the Upper School wrestling team. Since 2007, the team has won five consecutive state prep championship titles, has ranked extremely high among all private high schools in the nation since the early 2000s, and placed second at the 2009 National Preps Wrestling Tournament. In the extracurricular program, Sem's Model United Nations and Mock Trial groups grew in size and in their earning of championship titles in the region and the country. In the field of technology, Sem embraced Mac
computers, putting Macintosh
computers in classrooms and 'computer rooms' in both the Lower School and Upper School and using these devices frequently in classroom settings.
The makeup of Sem's Upper School administration also underwent an overhaul. For one, Karen Klassner became the first woman to hold several high-ranking positions, including Dean of Students for some time in the 1990s. However, by 2003, the position of Dean of Students was erased and the duties of this office were now part of the responsibilities of the Dean of the Upper School. Prior to 2003, there existed both a Dean of Students and a Dean of Upper School. At the same time, the school also introduced the position of Dean of Faculty and a new Class Deans system in which there is a dean that presides over each class and typically remains with a given class for the entirety of its four-year run. Amid the dawn of this new administrative system at the Upper School, the Lower School also saw changes. In 2004, the school's longtime history of having a "Dean of Lower School" changed into a new two-dean system that includes a "Dean of Primary" and a "Dean of Middle School" as well as 'coordinators,' essentially assistant deans, for both the primary grades and the middle-school grades.
was attended by then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
who delivered an address at the ceremony. The current acting Chair of the Board of Trustees is Jack Mueller, who is serving in an interim role as de facto chair in the aftermath of the passing of three-year chairman Charles "Rusty" Flack in May 2011. The current Dean of the Upper School is 1980 Sem graduate and faculty veteran Jay Harvey, who assumed his duties as interim dean on June 7, 2010 and was formally installed as Dean on December 13, 2010.
80% of Upper School graduates are accepted to colleges in the "competitive" to "most competitive" range. 98% of those who graduate from Sem successfully graduate college. 51% of students' families earn financial aid. 44% of teachers at the Lower School hold master's degrees compared to 51% at the Upper School. 13% of Upper School teachers hold doctorates while two percent of Lower School teachers also hold doctorates.
The average size for an Upper School course is 14 students. At WSUS, there are 39 classes offered in math and science and 76 classes offered in the humanities. The Upper School offers, in total, over 160 courses, including 25 Advanced Placement classes, more than most public or private schools in the United States. WSUS hosts more than 80 international students every year from over 20 countries and students from 15 different states across the country.
Nearly 300 students at the Upper School become involved in the performing arts at Sem and 86% of students participate in at least one sport. 700 WSUS football players have gone on to play college football over the last thirty years. The Upper School field hockey team has seen 17 undefeated seasons and has won five PIAA state championship titles, including as recently as 2011 when they won the state title for the second consecutive year, the first back-to-back state championships in Sem field hockey history. The WSUS boys' basketball
team won their division title four consecutive times, including as recently as 2010. The Upper School wrestling
team has won the Pennsylvania Prep State Tournament five years in a row.
The Upper School's Mock Trial Team has its share of accolades as well. The team's teacher coach is history teacher Adam Carlisle. In addition, Attys. Neil and Cathy O'Donnell, Atty. Frank Brier, and Atty. Dick Goldberg serve as attorney coaches. Latin teacher Justin Naylor serves as an assistant teacher coach. In the past two years, the team has received the following distinctions:
2010
2011
Since 1979, the Upper School's 19th century buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Since 2006, portions of the Upper School campus have undergone a large-scale renovation, with the housing facilities of Swetland, Darte, and Fleck Halls renovated on the otuside, the Kirby Library (on the second floor of the Stettler Center) renovated, a brand new third floor introduced in Sprague Hall, the construction of Klassner Field for field hockey and lacrosse games, the construction of the O. Charles Lull Tennis Center, and a brand new first floor of the Lower School.
in 2009. Renowned actor Austin Pendleton
joined the PAI cast for the production of Gypsy.
The Upper School's Madrigal Singers, a 28-voice choral
group, have gained recognition for their proficiency. The group has toured worldwide — touring Asia
in 2006. In summer 2007 the group also toured in Germany
through their host, The St. Lioba School in Bad Nauheim Germany. During the summer of 2009, the Madrigal Singers competed in an international choral competition in the Czech Republic. They entered 4 categories and won two gold and two silver medals. They continued this tour by singing in various locations throughout Slovakia and Hungary. In the summer of 2010, the group returned to Bad Nauheim to participate in the Festivokal singing festival. The group is currently under the direction of Sem performing and fine arts department chairman John M. Vaida, a member of the Sem faculty since the 1970s.
Orchestra, jazz band, chorale, and smaller ensembles are available for all students to participate in every year. Sem is the host for the Wyoming Seminary Civic Orchestra, directed by Yoon Jae Lee, in which local students perform with local musicians. Pit-orchestra gives students the opportunity to work with local musicians as well.
The Upper School drama department, run by 1991 Sem graduate Jason Sherry, also has many participants at the school. Sem hosts a musical in the fall, an acting workshop in the winter, and a play in the spring. Auditions are open to all students regardless of their experience and, at times, is open to faculty as well.
Wyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley is a region of northeastern Pennsylvania. As a metropolitan area, it is also known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, after its principal cities, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre....
of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
, in Kingston
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
(where the Upper School is located) and Forty Fort
Forty Fort, Pennsylvania
Forty Fort is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,579 at the 2000 census. It neighbors the boroughs of Kingston, Wyoming, and Swoyersville...
(where the Lower School is located.) It is near the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
and the city of Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
. "Sem," as it is often called locally, is divided into a lower school of pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and an upper school campus of roughly 450 high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
ers. Both divisions are coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al. Students in grades nine through postgraduate have the option to board
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. Slightly less than one half of the Upper School student body lives on campus.
Founding and Beginning of Sem (1844-1892)
Wyoming Seminary was founded by Methodist Church leaders in 1844 at the instigation of George PeckGeorge Peck (clergyman)
George Peck, born August 8, 1797, in Middlefield, New York, and died on May 20, 1876, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is buried in Forty Fort Meeting, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Luther Peck, a blacksmith, and his wife, Annis nee Collar. He and his four brothers became...
. At the time, it was common practice to call any academy or school a "seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
." While the school remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, it does not primarily educate students for the ministry or priesthood and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The first class of Wyoming Seminary contained 31 students — 17 boys and 14 girls from Pennsylvania and New York. The school's first president was Rueben Nelson. At the time, Kingston was a rural village, and the school raised livestock, grew its own produce, and built a smoke house with which to preserve meat for the winter. After the industrial age
Industrial Age
Industrial Age may refer to:*Industrialisation*The Industrial Revolution...
began, the school grew. In the wake of the region's new mining and manufacturing concerns, a dedicated business school was created and a college preparatory program was established.
The Sprague Era and Rise of Sem (1892-1960)
As extensively documented by historian Leroy Bugbee in his account of Wyoming Seminary's first 100 years of existence, much of Sem's rise as a prominent college prep school took place during the tenure of the legendary and beloved Levi Sprague. Sprague was a Sem alumnus who served as the school's president for five decades from the 1880s to the 1930s and was associated with the school for nearly his entire life. Ultimately dying while in office, Sprague was undoubtedly Wyoming Seminary's most transformational president. Sprague's intense dedication to the school has been honored several times to the present day as he still is remembered and very recognized at the school. The street that most of the Upper School campus is located on is named Sprague Avenue, the central building that hosts most classes and administrative offices there is called Sprague Hall, a bust of Sprague is featured in this building, and since 1993, a yearly prestigious scholarship for seniors that offers free boarding for eight selected student leaders is called the Levi Sprague Fellowship. In 1892, the Wyoming Seminary footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team participated in the world's first nighttime football game
Night game
A night game is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with floodlights or with the usual low-light conditions.-Cricket:...
, playing against Mansfield University (then Mansfield State Normal School). The game ended at halftime due to insufficient lighting, with neither team scoring. The school continually grew as the 20th century dawned, attracting an increasingly larger number of students in the early part of the century and displaying an atmosphere reminiscent of a suburban college campus. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, parts of the campus were used as training grounds for American soldiers for the war effort from 1917 to 1919. By the early 1950s, Sem expanded to include what is today considered the "lower school," composed of nursery through eighth grade students. In 1951, Sem merged with the Wilkes-Barre Day School to become the region's only independent school to offer a complete program ranging from nursery through secondary school. By the late 1990s, Sem's Lower School - located three miles from Kingston in nearby Forty Fort - expanded their program by adding a prekindergarten-3 program and renaming its nursery school grade as prekindergarten-4.
The Stettler Era (1967-1990)
In the 1960s, the business and music schools were dissolved, leaving the college preparatory program as the secondary school's focus by the time Dr. Wallace F. Stettler became the school's ninth president in 1967. As the 1970s approached, Stettler - unarguably a consequential president - oversaw dramatic changes that would forever leave a lasting impression on Wyoming Seminary. In June 1972, a natural disaster ravaged much of Kingston and Wilkes-Barre in the form of Hurricane AgnesHurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
. Ultimately, Agnes crippled parts of Sem's Upper School campus but Stettler saw to it that these damages would not cripple the school's spirit. Under Stettler's leadership, Sem accepted significant federal aid from the Nixon administration, hand delivered in the form of a check from Sem graduate and Nixon Wilkes-Barre area flood response director Frank Carlucci
Frank Carlucci
Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former official in the United States Government, associated with the Republican Party. The most prominent office held by Carlucci was as Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989 in the Reagan Administration.-Early life and career:Carlucci was born in Scranton,...
, to help revive its campus.
This aid - combined with private money and the sheer willpower and vision of Stettler and his colleagues - helped lead to the construction of the Bell Tower, the Buckingham Performing Arts Center, the Pettebone-Dickson Student Center, renovations in Sprague Hall, and the construction of the Learning Resources Center, which includes a library, several classrooms, admissions offices, and a large conference room. This center is today named the Stettler Learning Resources Center in honor of Dr. Stettler. All of these efforts at the Upper School were completed in a short four year period between 1974 and 1978. In little time, the school's endowment grew significantly, tripling by the early 1990s. At the same time, the school's vibrancy and community spirit was enhanced just years after the flood by the enormous success of the football team under legendary coach Marvin Antinnes. During the late 1970's and early 1980's, Antinnes oversaw over thirty consecutive wins for the team over a period of several seasons. At the time of Stettler's passing in October 2010, he was widely remembered for this work, as The Times Leader
The Times Leader
The Times Leader is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978...
recalled in his obituary that "Stettler not only rebuilt what had been damaged in the flood, he expanded the campus." In the same article, Sem's current vice president of advancement, John H. Shafer, recounted that Stettler “made it possible for Wyoming Seminary to emerge from the flood an even stronger institution.”
The Packard Years (1990-2007)
However, Stettler's retirement in 1990 did not mark the end of Sem's growth. During the tenure of Sem's tenth president, Dr. H. Jeremy Packard, the school continued to expand in all fields including academics, arts, the extracurricular program, athletics, and in technology as the age of the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
dawned. These expansions also included further renovations on its Upper School campus such as the 2006 construction of Klassner Field, named for athletics director Karen Klassner, for field hockey and lacrosse games. Sem also bought a former bank adjacent to its Upper School campus to become the Wyoming Seminary Great Hall, used today by the performing arts department for several concerts and by the Student Activities Committee for a yearly dance. With regards to buildings already on Upper School campus, Sem's Sprague Hall, which includes all administrative offices and three floors of classrooms in all subjects except science, expanded to include a renovated, modernized new wing in 1999. At the Lower School, similar changes were made, including the construction of a new wing for fourth and fifth grade students and a new glass foyer.
In the field of athletics, junior Kristina Benson became in 1993 the first student to join what had previously been an exclusively male varsity ice hockey team. By 2001, Wyoming Seminary's Upper School Men's tennis team won the team state title becoming the first to do so in all of Wyoming Seminary's history. The team was led by Math teacher O. Charles Lull. That same year, the SEM Upper School field hockey team won the state championship title. Since then, the field hockey team, under the leadership of current athletic director and longtime field hockey coach Karen Klassner, has won four other state championships as well, in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. The victory in November 2010 was a lopsided, historically large 5-0 victory. The growth of the school's athletic program also included significant success for the Upper School wrestling team. Since 2007, the team has won five consecutive state prep championship titles, has ranked extremely high among all private high schools in the nation since the early 2000s, and placed second at the 2009 National Preps Wrestling Tournament. In the extracurricular program, Sem's Model United Nations and Mock Trial groups grew in size and in their earning of championship titles in the region and the country. In the field of technology, Sem embraced Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers, putting Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers in classrooms and 'computer rooms' in both the Lower School and Upper School and using these devices frequently in classroom settings.
The makeup of Sem's Upper School administration also underwent an overhaul. For one, Karen Klassner became the first woman to hold several high-ranking positions, including Dean of Students for some time in the 1990s. However, by 2003, the position of Dean of Students was erased and the duties of this office were now part of the responsibilities of the Dean of the Upper School. Prior to 2003, there existed both a Dean of Students and a Dean of Upper School. At the same time, the school also introduced the position of Dean of Faculty and a new Class Deans system in which there is a dean that presides over each class and typically remains with a given class for the entirety of its four-year run. Amid the dawn of this new administrative system at the Upper School, the Lower School also saw changes. In 2004, the school's longtime history of having a "Dean of Lower School" changed into a new two-dean system that includes a "Dean of Primary" and a "Dean of Middle School" as well as 'coordinators,' essentially assistant deans, for both the primary grades and the middle-school grades.
The Nygren Years (2007-present)
By the time of Packard's retirement in June 2007, the school had grown significantly, building on the achievements of the Stettler era. The school's current President, Dr. Kip P. Nygren, who took office shortly after Packard's departure, has presided over continued changes including a new third floor of Sprague Hall, a vast renovation of the Lower School's first floor, and extensive restoration work on the Upper School dormitories. The most significant project to date on Nygren's watch has been the planned construction of the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts. In spite of the continued changes taking place at Sem and continued academic, athletic, and extracurricular achievements, Nygren and the administration were forced to, at least for now, terminate the football program. Due to lack of student interest, significant rates of graduation of football players in 2010 and 2011, and other factors, Nygren and Upper School Dean Jay Harvey announced a decision to suspend the football program for the 2011-2012 school year. Nevertheless, Harvey underscored in a statement that he and others were "developing a plan to engage administrators, trustees, alumni and parents to review the dynamics of the program and the student-athletes and facilities necessary to ensure its success." However, successes such as the field hockey team winning back-to-back state championships for the first time ever and the Mock Trial team becoming state champions for the first time and earning sixth place in the national competition have also marked Nygren's tenure.In the present
Wyoming Seminary's current president, the 11th of the school, is Dr. Kip P. Nygren, a retired West Point professor and multi-decade military leader who was elected Sem President in November 2006 and assumed his duties on July 1, 2007. Nygren's formal installation as president in September 2008September 2008
September 2008 was the ninth month of the leap year. It began on a Monday and ended after 30 days on a Tuesday.-Portal:Current events:This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from September 2008....
was attended by then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
who delivered an address at the ceremony. The current acting Chair of the Board of Trustees is Jack Mueller, who is serving in an interim role as de facto chair in the aftermath of the passing of three-year chairman Charles "Rusty" Flack in May 2011. The current Dean of the Upper School is 1980 Sem graduate and faculty veteran Jay Harvey, who assumed his duties as interim dean on June 7, 2010 and was formally installed as Dean on December 13, 2010.
80% of Upper School graduates are accepted to colleges in the "competitive" to "most competitive" range. 98% of those who graduate from Sem successfully graduate college. 51% of students' families earn financial aid. 44% of teachers at the Lower School hold master's degrees compared to 51% at the Upper School. 13% of Upper School teachers hold doctorates while two percent of Lower School teachers also hold doctorates.
The average size for an Upper School course is 14 students. At WSUS, there are 39 classes offered in math and science and 76 classes offered in the humanities. The Upper School offers, in total, over 160 courses, including 25 Advanced Placement classes, more than most public or private schools in the United States. WSUS hosts more than 80 international students every year from over 20 countries and students from 15 different states across the country.
Nearly 300 students at the Upper School become involved in the performing arts at Sem and 86% of students participate in at least one sport. 700 WSUS football players have gone on to play college football over the last thirty years. The Upper School field hockey team has seen 17 undefeated seasons and has won five PIAA state championship titles, including as recently as 2011 when they won the state title for the second consecutive year, the first back-to-back state championships in Sem field hockey history. The WSUS boys' basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team won their division title four consecutive times, including as recently as 2010. The Upper School wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
team has won the Pennsylvania Prep State Tournament five years in a row.
The Upper School's Mock Trial Team has its share of accolades as well. The team's teacher coach is history teacher Adam Carlisle. In addition, Attys. Neil and Cathy O'Donnell, Atty. Frank Brier, and Atty. Dick Goldberg serve as attorney coaches. Latin teacher Justin Naylor serves as an assistant teacher coach. In the past two years, the team has received the following distinctions:
2010
- 4th place, University of Pittsburgh High School Mock Trial Tournament
- District Championship
- Regional Championship
- 4th place, PA Bar YLD Statewide Competition
- 4th place, Empire Mock Trial Invitational
2011
- 2nd place, University of Pittsburgh High School Mock Trial Tournament
- District Championship
- Regional Championship
- PA Bar YLD Statewide Champions
- 6th place, National High School Mock Trial Championships
Since 1979, the Upper School's 19th century buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Since 2006, portions of the Upper School campus have undergone a large-scale renovation, with the housing facilities of Swetland, Darte, and Fleck Halls renovated on the otuside, the Kirby Library (on the second floor of the Stettler Center) renovated, a brand new third floor introduced in Sprague Hall, the construction of Klassner Field for field hockey and lacrosse games, the construction of the O. Charles Lull Tennis Center, and a brand new first floor of the Lower School.
The arts
Wyoming Seminary Upper School requires an art history and a music history course, offers multiple art and drawing courses, music courses, and chorale. Sem's campus has two art studios, a ceramics studio, and a darkroom on campus. Each trimester, the art students put their work up in The Great Hall for display and put their work up in the fall term in Nesbitt Hall for display. Every several months, photography students have a show in the Buckingham Performing Arts Center. Students are also allowed to work on arts projects during the summer at the Performing Arts Institute (PAI). Students interested in music, dance and musical theatre spend the 42-day session on campus, and are exposed to world renowned artists. Every year, PAI hosts a theaterical production at the F.M. Kirby Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre, including Two Gentlemen of Verona in 2010 and GypsyGypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
in 2009. Renowned actor Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
joined the PAI cast for the production of Gypsy.
The Upper School's Madrigal Singers, a 28-voice choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
group, have gained recognition for their proficiency. The group has toured worldwide — touring Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in 2006. In summer 2007 the group also toured in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
through their host, The St. Lioba School in Bad Nauheim Germany. During the summer of 2009, the Madrigal Singers competed in an international choral competition in the Czech Republic. They entered 4 categories and won two gold and two silver medals. They continued this tour by singing in various locations throughout Slovakia and Hungary. In the summer of 2010, the group returned to Bad Nauheim to participate in the Festivokal singing festival. The group is currently under the direction of Sem performing and fine arts department chairman John M. Vaida, a member of the Sem faculty since the 1970s.
Orchestra, jazz band, chorale, and smaller ensembles are available for all students to participate in every year. Sem is the host for the Wyoming Seminary Civic Orchestra, directed by Yoon Jae Lee, in which local students perform with local musicians. Pit-orchestra gives students the opportunity to work with local musicians as well.
The Upper School drama department, run by 1991 Sem graduate Jason Sherry, also has many participants at the school. Sem hosts a musical in the fall, an acting workshop in the winter, and a play in the spring. Auditions are open to all students regardless of their experience and, at times, is open to faculty as well.
Notable alumni
- Mark Bufalino was the chairman of the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
of Luzerne County, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
from 2006 to 2011 and was a candidate for one of the six county judge positions on the Court of Common PleasCourt of Common PleasCourt of Common Pleas may refer to several different courts:England and Wales and Ireland:* Court of Common Pleas * Court of Common Pleas...
in 2011. - Lisa CaputoLisa CaputoFor the astronaut see Lisa Caputo Nowak.Lisa Caputo is currently Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Citigroup. She has been has been Founder, Chairman and CEO of Citi's Women & Co. business since January 2000...
served as Press SecretaryPress secretaryA press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
for Hillary Clinton during her tenure as First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
as well as a Deputy Assistant to President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, serving both positions during President Clinton's first term from 1993 to 1997. She is currently the Chief Marketing OfficerChief marketing officerChief Marketing Officer is a corporate title referring to an executive responsible for various marketing activities in an organization...
for CitigroupCitigroupCitigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
. - Frank CarlucciFrank CarlucciFrank Charles Carlucci III is a former official in the United States Government, associated with the Republican Party. The most prominent office held by Carlucci was as Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989 in the Reagan Administration.-Early life and career:Carlucci was born in Scranton,...
served as the United States Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of DefenseThe Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
for President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
from 1987 to 1989 after serving numerous other cabinet posts in Republican administrations. - Terry Casey is the chairman of the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of Luzerne County, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. - Howard GardnerHoward GardnerHoward Earl Gardner is an American developmental psychologist who is a professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero and author of over twenty books translated into thirty languages. Since 1995, he has...
is an American developmental psychologistPsychologistPsychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, widely recognized for his famed theory of multiple intelligencesTheory of multiple intelligencesThe theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983 as a model of intelligence that differentiates intelligence into various specific modalities, rather than seeing it as dominated by a single general ability....
. - Dan Harris is a Hollywood director (Imaginary HeroesImaginary HeroesImaginary Heroes is a 2004 American drama film written and directed by Dan Harris. It focuses on the traumatic effect the suicide of the elder son has on a suburban family.-Plot:...
) and a screenwriter (X2 [X-Men 2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
] and Superman ReturnsSuperman ReturnsSuperman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
). - Henry Hoyt was a UnionUnion (American Civil War)During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
generalGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the Civil WarCivil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
and served as the 18th governorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the late 19th century. - Mitchell JenkinsMitchell JenkinsMitchell Jenkins was a U.S. Republican Congressional Representative from Pennsylvania.Mitchell Jenkins was born in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He attended the Kingston, Pennsylvania public elementary schools and the Wyoming Seminary Upper School during his high school years...
was a Republican U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district from 1947-1949. - Paul Kanjorski was a DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Congressman who represented Pennsylvania's 11th congressional districtPennsylvania's 11th congressional districtPennsylvania's 11th congressional district is in the northeastern part of the state and includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and most of the Poconos. Republican Lou Barletta has represented the district since 2011, the first Republican to do so in almost 30 years...
from 1985 to 2011. - W.S. Merwin is a profilic American writer who was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2010 to 2012.
- Lauren PowleyLauren Powley-Early life and education:Lauren Powley was born March 5, 1984 in Kingston, Pennsylvania to Penelope and Kenneth Powley. She grew up in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania and graduated from Wyoming Seminary high school in Kingston, Pennsylvania, in 2002....
, who led Wyoming Seminary to the field hockey AA state championship in 2001, competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China as a member of the United States Field Hockey Team. - Elwood Quesada served as a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force after leading the tactical air support during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He also served as the first head of the Federal Aviation Administration and was a one time owner of the Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. - Don SherwoodDon SherwoodDonald L. "Don" Sherwood is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, from 1999 to 2007...
was a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Congressman who represented Pennsylvania's 10th congressional districtPennsylvania's 10th congressional districtPennsylvania's 10th congressional district is located primarily in the northeast corner of the state. The district was one of the 12 original districts created prior to the 4th Congress. It is currently represented by Republican Tom Marino, who defeated Democratic incumbent Chris Carney during the...
from 1999 to 2007. - Joe Torsella is the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Representative for United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Management and Reform for President Barack Obama, was Governor Rendell's chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, and was the President and CEO of the National Constitution CenterNational Constitution CenterThe National Constitution Center is an organization that seeks to expand awareness and understanding of the United States Constitution and operates a museum to advance those purposes....
in Philadelphia from 1997-2003 and 2006-2008. - Todd Vonderheid served as a Luzerne County Commissioner for several years, including in the early 2000s, and in the late 2000s into the early 2010s, he served as President and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. - John YudichakJohn YudichakJohn Yudichak is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania Senate. He also served six terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.Yudichak was elected to the State Senate in 2010...
, who did a PG year at Sem, was a Democratic State Representative who represented Pennsylvania's 119th Legislative District from 1999 to 2010 and is currently the State SenatorState SenatorA state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
for Pennsylvania's 14th State Senatorial district. - Several alumni have gone on to play professional ice hockey, among them Dennis PackardDennis PackardDennis Packard is an American professional ice hockey player, who last played for the HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.-Early life:...
(AHL/Europe), Arpad Mihaly (AHL/Europe), Zoltan Pal (Europe), Eric TangradiEric TangradiEric Tangradi is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was selected 42nd overall in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
(AHL/NHL), Lukas Friedl (Europe) and Aleš PařezAleš ParezAles Parez is an ex-professional ice hockey for the Milton Keynes Lightning in the EPL. Parez began playing hockey in North America at Wyoming Seminary , a boarding school he attended for four years...
(Europe). - Several alumni have gone on to play professional football, among them Quentin Harris (NFL), Richard Barlette (Arena), and Jonathan Churchill (Arena).
- Several alumni have coached in professional football, among them Chuck BresnahanChuck BresnahanCharles "Chuck" Bresnahan is an American football coach. He is the current defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League....
(NFL), and Harry HiestandHarry HiestandHarry Hiestand had been the offensive line coach for the National Football League Chicago Bears since 2005 before taking the same job at the University of Tennessee. Hiestand earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg in 1983...
(NFL).
External links
- Wyoming Seminary
- Peterson's Close-Up for Wyoming Seminary