Sem News

The freshman class at Sem's Upper School attended a day-long retreat at The Lands at Hillside Farms where they volunteered their skills to help with projects on the working farm. Students cleared out box gardens to make way for a Victorian garden, worked on building a stone bridge over a creek, and helped to repair a nineteenth-century greenhouse. Students also toured the grounds, enjoyed a hayride and also sampled delicious Hillside ice cream.

Freshmen worked on the Victorian garden...

...helped restore the greenhouse...

...and built a stone bridge.

First row from left: Antoinette Allen, math; Leah Eyerman, admissions and girls ice hockey; and Jim Doherty, chair of the math department. Second row from left: David Klann, science; Scott Green, English, public speaking and wrestling; and David Danilack, math.

Wyoming Seminary opened its 167th academic year by welcoming six new faculty and administrators to its Upper School campus in Kingston, which began classes on Tuesday, August 31.

“We are pleased to have such talented and accomplished professionals join our faculty and administration,” said Jay Harvey, Interim Dean of the Upper School. “Their talents and skills will contribute greatly to the quality of our academic and extracurricular programs.”

The new faculty and administration members include:

Antoinette Allen is a member of the mathematics faculty, teaching algebra and geometry.  She also serves as an assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach. She has earned dual degrees in economics and political science from Columbia University, and holds a master of arts degree in mathematics education from Teachers College, Columbia. She previously taught at public and private schools and most recently taught at the Pine Crest School, Florida.

David Danilack is a member of the mathematics faculty and teaches algebra, precalculus and calculus. He holds a bachelors degree in mathematics from King’s College and a masters degree in business administration from the University of Scranton. Most recently he taught math at Wilkes-Barre Area.

James Doherty is the new chair of the Sem mathematics department and teaches honors and AP courses in calculus and statistics. He holds both a bachelor of science degree and a masters degree in mathematics education from the University of Florida. He previously taught in independent schools and community colleges and most recently served as the chair of the mathematics department at the Kent Place School in New Jersey.

Leah Eyerman is a member of the admission staff and serves as a study hall proctor and varsity girls ice hockey coach. A 2004 graduate of Wyoming Seminary, she holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental science and education from Neumann College. She previously taught science at Rumsey Hall School and established the school’s girls ice hockey program.

Scott Green is a member of the English faculty and teaches public speaking and English electives, and will serve as the varsity wrestling coach. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in literature and rhetoric from Binghamton University and most recently served as the university’s assistant wrestling coach. Previously he taught English and special education at two schools in New York.

David Klann is a member of the science faculty and teaches honors and AP physics, astronomy and robotics. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in physics/geophysics from Brown University and a master of science degree in astronomy from the University of Arizona. He has taught in community colleges and several independent schools and most recently was a teacher at the Stony Brook School in New York.

New and returning boarding students (pictured) enjoy a pizza party on Back Campus.

Boarding students started arriving on campus for Orientation Weekend events on Friday, August 28. In addition to registration and orientation, an activities fair is planned for Sunday afternoon that features the many clubs and sports available at Sem, with a dinner on Back Campus for new parents and students. Many games and activities are planned for all students throughout the weekend.

Visit the Orientation Weekend page...

Jay Harvey of Trucksville, Class Dean, Curriculum Coordinator and mathematics faculty member at the Upper School, has been named Interim Upper School Dean. As Dean he oversees all aspects of the Upper School’s academic and student life programs, college guidance program, registrar and faculty. Harvey joined Sem in 1984 as a math and computer teacher and coach at the Lower School and has also served as an Upper School math and computer teacher, coach, Activities Director, dorm head and commencement coordinator. A 1980 Sem graduate, he holds a bachelor of science degree in math from Penn State University and a master of science degree in education from Wilkes University.

Robert Tarud, CPA, MBA, of Drums, Assistant Business Manager, has been named Business Manager. As Manager he oversees the business operations, human resources and purchasing for both Lower and Upper Schools. Tarud joined Sem in 1999 as assistant business manager and previously served as an accountant for Robert G. Robbins, P.A. and Lundy and Shacter, CPA. He holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Kings College and a master of business administration in finance and accounting from Wilkes University.

Wyoming Seminary, with campuses in Kingston and Forty Fort, will begin its 167th year of classes at the end of August.

The Upper School in Kingston will register boarding and day students on Sunday and Monday, August 29 and 30 for grades nine through 12 and postgraduate. New students will participate in orientation activities on Sunday and Monday, and freshmen will attend a special Freshman Retreat on Monday.

On Tuesday, August 31, a special opening-of-school convocation service will be held at the Upper School. Sem government president Jack Cartwright ’11 of Moosic will ring the historic Cokesbury bell 16 times, one for each decade of Wyoming Seminary’s existence, to usher in the new academic year. Lydia Traill, a member of the English faculty, will address the student body.

The Lower School, located in Forty Fort, will open for its first day of classes on Wednesday, Sept. 1 with a convocation for students in fifth through eighth grades. Orientation for new Lower School students in grades 1-8 will be held on Tuesday, August 31 from 10:00-11:00 a.m., and an Open House for new and returning preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students and their parents will be held at the same time.

Dr. Claire Smith Hornung, Dean of Primary, announced that the opening convocation for primary grades will be held on Thursday, Sept. 2. She encourages all parents of preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students to attend a Parents’ Back to School Night at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. A similar Back to School Night for parents of children in first and second grades will be held on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7:00 p.m., and for third and fourth grades on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Mary Kolessar, Dean of Middle School, encourages parents of middle-school students to attend their orientation session on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

For more information about Wyoming Seminary, its programs and activities, call the Upper School at 270-2160 or the Lower School at 718-6610, or visit online at www.wyomingseminary.org.

Wyoming Seminary presented awards to 21 outstanding Lower School students at the annual eighth-grade graduation ceremony held June 3 on the Lower School campus in Forty Fort.

Awards were presented by Kip P. Nygren, school president; Mary T.Kolessar, Dean of Middle School; and William Davis, Middle School Coordinator.

Those presented with awards included three seventh graders: Adam Rinehouse, who received the Charlotte M. Sours Academic Achievement Award, Corinne Conyngham and Katherine Rogers who received the Charles Pfifferling, Sr. Memorial Prize for best all-around seventh grader.

Eighth-grade winners and their awards were: Sai Abhishek, The Margaret M. Stack Memorial Award (Latin); Alexander Barilla, The Kenneth and Suzanne MacArthur Award (excellence in boys’ athletics); Matthew Cartwright, Jr., The Marjorie Harvey Smith Award (outstanding conduct, white team); Gabrielle Coslett, The Dean’s Award (all-around student and school loyalty); Matthew Doggett, The Dr. Sheldon H. Kluger Memorial Science Award; Scott Edmunds, The Mary Mazzitelli Memorial Music Leadership Award; Ryan Frania, The Karen Smulowitz Memorial Poetry Prize and The Irma Meyer Award (excellence in art); Julia Grosek, The Dartt Edwards Prize (sportsmanship); Benjamin Hornung, graduation speaker and The Marjorie Harvey Smith Award (outstanding conduct, blue team), The Mary Mazzitelli Memorial Music Leadership Award, The Bessie G. Atwood English Award, The John D. Hughes Memorial Mathematics Award, The Margaret M. Stack Memorial Award (Latin and Spanish), The Wilkes-Barre Day School Trustees Prize (best scholastic performance of the year) and The Anna M. Olcott Award (scholarship and conduct); Alexandra Kilyanek, The Margaret M. Stack Memorial Award (French) and The Anna M. Olcott Award (scholarship and conduct); Andrew Levandoski, The Harold and Mollie Cruikshank Award (service and character); Mallory Lefkowitz, The Jane Pfifferling Dimond Award (excellence in girls’ athletics) and The William M. Powell Prize (loyalty and school spirit); Asa Saidman, The Marjorie Harvey Smith Award (outstanding conduct, white team); Connor Scalleat, The Marjorie Harvey Smith Award (outstanding conduct, blue team), the Paul Kafrissen Memorial Computer Award; Katherine Schraeder, the John G. Ruggles, III Memorial Award (excellence in creative writing); Bradley Sedor, The Kenneth and Suzanne MacArthur Award (excellence in boys’ athletics); Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz, The Peter Drapiewski Memorial Prize (integrity and intellectual promise); Molly Turner, The Peter Drapiewski Memorial Prize (integrity and intellectual promise) and The Jane Pfifferling Dimond Award (excellence in girls’ athletics); and Mairead Tuttle, The Margaret M. Stack Memorial Award (French).

William S. Merwin '44 (pictured left), recipient of Sem's Joseph C. Donchess Distinguished Service Award in 2002, was named Poet Laureate, according to the New York Times, Wednesday, June 30.

After two years as a boarder at Wyoming Seminary, Merwin graduated from Princeton University and spent the next several years traveling, tutoring and writing. He has lived in France, Mexico, Boston and New York, but settled in Maui, Hawaii in 1975.

With nearly fifty books of poetry, prose and translation to his credit, Merwin’s work is considered to be among the most widely read and imitated in America. In a 1997 article, the Atlantic Monthly noted that his poems have appeared in their pages more frequently than those of any other poet.

He has won many prizes and awards, such as two Pulitzers (1971 and 2009), the National Book Award (2005), the Tanning Prize, the Bollingen Prize, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the PEN Translation Prize, the Wallace Stevens Award and others, and many prestigious grants and fellowships.

Although most widely known for poetry, Merwin also wrote 21 books of translation, several plays and five books of prose.

W.S. Merwin links:

Poem “After School” written about Merwin’s Wyoming Seminary experience

W.S. Merwin reads "Yesterday" with a foreward by Garrison Keillor

W.S. Merwin's Distinguished Service Award Citation, 2002

Wyoming Seminary Lower School Science Research Group (SRG) students recently earned awards for their research projects at regional and state competitions.  The students presented oral reports and posters of their research to panels of judges and other students.

Six Sem students, all in eighth grade, competed in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science State Competition, held at Penn State University at University Park. Four students received First Awards: Alex Christine, Andrew Levandoski, Vinay Murthy, and Connor Scalleat. Mairead Tuttle received the Second Award, and Wyatt Cox received the Third Award.

At the earlier Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS), Northeast Regional Meeting, held at King’s College, eight Lower School eighth-graders participated. Scalleat received the First Award, Perfect Score and the Excellence Award. Matthew Doggett, Shavertown; Cox, Christine, Levandoski, Murthy and Tuttle all received First Awards. Nick Querci, Kingston, received a Second Award.

First row from left: Matthew Doggett and Connor Scalleat. Second row: Mairead Tuttle, Nicholas Querci, Alex Christine, Andrew Levandoski, Vinay Murthy, and Wyatt Cox.

Wyoming Seminary Upper School Director of Athletics Karen Klassner recently announced Sem’s Most Valuable Players, Coaches’ Awards and Gold Award winners for spring sports. Athletes who earned four varsity letters or three varsity and one junior varsity letters in their sport receive Gold Awards.

In baseball, Jason Cholish received the Offensive MVP Award and Matthew Smith, a senior, received the Defensive MVP Award and the Gold Award. Bryce Caiazzo, a senior, received the Gold Award. In softball, Devin Holmes, a freshman, received the Rookie of the Year Award, while Carly Sokach, a junior, received the Blue Knight Award. Allison Zoranski, a senior, received the Red Cross Award while Robyn Shonk, a senior, received the Gold Award.

In boys lacrosse, Dalton Harbula, a postgraduate student, and Joseph Fulginiti, a senior, received Coaches’ Awards. Seniors Benjamin Adrian, and Tyler Skroski also received Gold Awards in the sport. In girls lacrosse, senior Katherine Granger received the Blue Knight Award and the Gold Award while senior Leah Levine received the Coaches Award. Seniors Madeleine Hackett and Sunny Stirewalt, Brennan Twardowski and Chelsea Van Glahn also received Gold Awards in lacrosse.

In boys tennis, Henry Cornell, a freshman from Mountain Top, received the Coaches Award, while Ibon Aperribay Arbelaiz, a junior from San Sebastian, Spain, received the Most Improved Player Award. Senior Nicholas Strzeletz of Dallas received the Gold Award. In girls soccer, seniors Sierra Segear of Wilkes-Barre and Kelsey Hannigan of West Pittston both received the Coaches Award and Gold Award. Seniors Elizabeth Kolvik of Greentown and Vanessa Mok of Hong Kong, China received Gold Awards.

Seen following the spring sports awards assembly are, first row from left: Robyn Shonk, Leah Levine, Brennan Twardowski, Katherine Granger, Chelsea Van Glahn, Sunny Stirewalt, Kesley Hannigan, and Henry Cornell. Second row, from left: Madeleine Hackett, Kelsey Grossman,Devin Holmes, Joseph Fulginiti, Tyler Skroski, Vanessa Mok, Elizabeth Kolvik, and Nicholas Strzeletz. Third row, from left: Benjamin Adrian, Dalton Harbula, Allison Zoranski, Jason Cholish, Bryce Caiazzo, Sierra Segear, Ibon Aperribay Arbelaiz, and Matthew Smith. Not present for photo: Carly Sokach.

Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston recently presented its annual Joseph C. Donchess Distinguished Service Award to four people who have demonstrated exceptional service to the community and Wyoming Seminary.

The four recipients are Marvin Antinnes of Forty Fort; Jean Robbins Hughes of Kingston, class of 1948; Clifford K. Melberger of West Pittston; and John D. Mueller of Lake Forest, Ill., class of 1952.

The Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Wyoming Seminary Board of Trustees on behalf of everyone associated with the school. It expresses appreciation for the life and example, sacrifices and devotion of those who are honored.

During his 37-year tenure at Wyoming Seminary, Antinnes served as head football coach, athletic director, associate director of admission, director of financial aid and special assistant to the president. From 1967 to 1993 he coached the football team to a 133-47-3 record, including six unbeaten seasons and an unbeaten streak of 32 games from 1975-80. As athletic director he helped increase the number of sports for girls at Sem, adding tennis, soccer and softball; he also oversaw the founding of the boys soccer, lacrosse and ice hockey programs. He served as head wrestling coach for two years and taught four or five classes a day of physical education and health. Working with other school athletic directors, he helped found the Wyoming Valley Boys Soccer Conference; he also served on the Wyoming Valley Athletic Council, the State Football Coaches Association and the State Athletic Directors Association. He also is a past president of the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club. He has been inducted into the Sem Sports Hall of Fame, the Wilkes University Hall of Fame and the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Hughes has been an active member of the Sem community since she began her studies at Sem in 1943. As a student she took part in many campus activities. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in romance languages from Wheaton College in 1952 she returned to the Wyoming Valley area and served in various community organizations such as the Junior League, the Church of Christ Uniting and Meals on Wheels. She also spent many years volunteering for Sem’s annual fund and Phonathon, and carrying out reunion committee work for the class of 1948.

Melberger, a prominent area entrepreneur and businessman, is the founder and co-owner of Diversified Information Technologies in Scranton, a national and international data and document information management company. He also is the owner, founder and chair of the board of GreenSpace Properties LLC, a real estate management and development company. A noted football and track athlete during his student days at West Pittston High School, he was a four-year starter on the Bucknell University football team and was team captain in 1960 when the Bison won the Lambert Cup Championship and received the award on the Ed Sullivan Show. He has received several athletic awards and has been named to the Bucknell University Sports Hall of Fame, the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame and the Wyoming Area High School Hall of Fame. He is the namesake of the Melberger Award, presented annually to the most valuable NCAA Div. III college football player in the nation. He has served on various charitable boards and received numerous business and community service awards; has established the Diversified Player of the Game Award at Bucknell and Wilkes Universities; and together with his wife Ruth has established scholarship programs at Bucknell, Wilkes and Wyoming Seminary.

Mueller is owner and president of MEA Inc. in Chicago, a company specializing in providing hydraulic and electronic equipment to steel mills, oil refineries, chemical companies and electrical power generating plants. A native of Wilkes-Barre, he is an active member of Sem’s Board of Trustees, serving as vice-chair of the board and as chair of the property committee. He has worked on many of the school’s recent renovation projects, such as the restoration of the facades of Swetland, Fleck and Darte Halls, construction of the new Lull Tennis Center and renovation of classrooms on both Upper and Lower School campuses.

For more than 40 years HOBY, a non-profit, non tax-supported youth leadership development organization, has worked to help young people make a difference and become positive catalysts for change in the home, school, workplace and community. Each year, more than 20,000 high school students participate in about 88 leadership seminars held throughout North America.

O’Donnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Neil O’Donnell, also received the Sun-Nye Shin Scholarship for outstanding citizenship in the Sem community at the annual Sem Awards Assembly.

Four Wyoming Seminary Lower School students recently received awards and certificates of merit for their participation in this year’s 55th Annual Fine Arts Fiesta art exhibit. The works were on display May 20-23 on Public Square, Wilkes-Barre. Pictured with Lower School art teacher Eileen Warren are students and their works of art, from left: Ryan Frania, Certificate of Merit, graphic (graphite); Dominique Coslett, Certificate of Merit, graphic (scratch art); Nicholas Krawczeniuk, Certificate of Merit and the Joel Carson Jones Art Award, photography (print); Alex McCarthy, Certificate of Merit and the Tudi Rhodes Memorial Award, graphic (scratch art); and Warren.

Scott Green, assistant wrestling coach at Binghamton University, Binghamton, N.Y., will join Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School as the head wrestling coach, effective August, 2010.

Green was named head wrestling coach following the departure of John Gordon, Sem’s Upper School Dean and head wrestling coach, who recently accepted an administrative position at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond Virginia. Gordon is joining St. Christopher’s senior leadership team with a focus on athletic administration and overall program development. The school, considered a premier independent school in Virginia, is a pre-kindergarten-grade 12 all boys day school, affiliated with the Episcopal Church.    

Green completed his fourth season as assistant coach at Binghamton, his alma mater, in 2009-10. During that season he helped guide the Bearcats to a 21st place finish in the NCAA Div. I National Championship, a 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Conference championship and a 14-7-2 season record. The Bearcats also had one wrestler named an All-American.
Prior to joining Binghamton in 2006 he enjoyed a successful six-year tenure as wrestling coach at Oxford Academy and Central School in Oxford, N.Y., where he led his team to six Section 4 and four state titles. He also founded and runs Shamrock Wrestling, one of the largest and most successful wrestling clubs in the country. Shamrock wrestlers have earned 57 All-America finishes at the ASICS Junior National Championships, including six titles. Green also has coached wrestlers to AA honors at the FILA Junior and University levels in Freestyle, Greco Roman and Folkstyle.

In 2009 Green received the USA Wrestling FILA Junior/University Person of the Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to the sport. He also was named the state Sectional Coach of the Year in 2004 and Northeast New York Regional Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2001.

In addition, he will serve as a coach for the USA World Wrestling Team competing at the Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in July.

Green’s extensive coaching experience at both the high school and university levels will be an asset to the Sem wrestling program, which finished the 2009-2010 season ranked fifth in the nation, according to Dr. Kip Nygren, Sem’s president. Under Gordon’s leadership the Blue Knights won their fourth consecutive Pennsylvania Prep State Championship and finished second at the National Prep Tournament in 2010.

“Since joining the Sem community in 2001 as head wrestling coach, John has worked tirelessly to advance the wrestling program here at Sem. His considerable coaching talent and his passion and knowledge of the sport brought our team from a national ranking of 139th in 2003 to fifth place this year,” Nygren said. “There is no doubt that we all will deeply miss John and his wife Gina, and we have been very fortunate to work with them for the past nine years. They have enriched our community and the lives of our students in countless ways, and we are the better for it. We recognize that this is a terrific opportunity for John and wish him the very best in the future.

“We are also confident that Scott has the talent, experience and drive to continue building Sem’s highly respected wrestling program and to take it to the next level. We welcome him and his family to Sem,” Nygren said.

Green will help continue the Sem tradition of success in wrestling and with his experience at the university level, will bring an added dimension to his coaching, according to Karen Klassner, Sem Director of Athletics.

“Scott Green is known and respected in wresting circles throughout New York State and beyond for his extensive expertise and coaching ability,” Klassner said. “There’s no doubt our athletes will benefit tremendously from his talents and experience at all levels of wrestling. We are very fortunate to have him join our school community.”

Green is a 1993 Binghamton University graduate, where he majored in literature and rhetoric. In addition to coaching wrestling at Sem he will teach English.

Sem’s wrestling program has proven itself to be among the leaders in the sport at the high school level, and Green is looking forward to continuing that success, he said.

“I see this as an opportunity to work with a nationally ranked program and to return to the classroom as a teacher,” he said. “Sem’s wrestlers are well trained, well educated and prepared to win at a high level. We’ll continue to work hard both in the classroom and on the mat, and I am looking forward to preparing these athletes to progress to the next level at the best collegiate institutions in the nation.”

Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School recently announced the 2010-2011 recipients of the Levi Sprague Fellowships, which represent the highest honor that the school bestows for leadership service. Awarded annually to commemorate the 70-year tenure of Wyoming Seminary’s fourth president, the fellowship honors student leaders in academic, athletic and extracurricular life. It also fosters a close and positive relationship between the day and boarding communities of the school by bringing some day students into the dormitories.

Levi Sprague Fellows are expected to serve as models to the rest of the student body. Nominations of juniors by students and faculty members are gathered in April and May and passed on to a committee of faculty and current Levi Sprague Fellows. The committee makes the final decision, selecting five to eight Fellows annually.

Recognized students receive full room and board for their senior year and must agree to board on campus for their senior year.

The eight 2010-2011 Levi Sprague Fellows are, first row from left: Jessica Swoboda, Lauren Skudalski, Rebecca Hosey, and Larissa Bohn. Second row, from left: Patrick McMullan, Jack Cartwright,  Thomas Martin, and Joshua McLucas.

Wyoming Seminary Upper School recently presented 30 students with the President's Educational Excellence Award during the school's Awards Day assembly, held prior to Commencement.

The award is given to graduating seniors who 1) have attained an A- average or equivalent during their junior and senior years, and 2) received a score (in the 11th or 12th grade) placing them at or above the 85th percentile on any nationally recognized college admissions examination, such as the SAT or ACT.

The President of the United States established the award in 1983 to encourage students to achieve high academic standards by recognizing and rewarding them for academic excellence.

Pictured, from left to right: Tachporn Akharaekpanya, Katherine Granger, XinZi Xu, Mengyi Ying, Kelsey Hannigan, Gina Insalaco, and Leah Levine. Second row, from left: Sonali Varhade, Kelsey Grossman, Brigid Smith, Rebecca Bub, Emily Rogers, Katharine Michaels, Max Schwager, Kyun Il Bae, Giang Hoang Nguyen, Longdi Yu. Third row, from left: K. Nathaniel Tucker, Komo Yamashita, Connor Kincheloe, Gregory Barber, Connor McRae, Thomas Romanowski, E. Blair Saba, Nicholas Strzeletz, Yu-Jui Lin. Not present for photo: Mordechai Bell, Shavertown; Quoc Anh Nguyen, Hanoi, Vietnam; Pooja Patel, Laflin; and Kristina Seiger, Pringle.

Dr. Wallace Stettler is president emeritus of Wyoming Seminary, serving as the school’s ninth president from 1967 to 1990.     

Established in 1990, the award is given to a returning student who 1) performs to his or her academic ability; 2) participates enthusiastically in the life of the school; 3) gives evidence on campus and/or in the community at large of caring for others and a sensitivity to the needs of people; and 4) possesses the traits to project that caring and sensitivity constructively in the world.

Shick is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Shick.

The $3000 scholarship honors the memory of Charlene Chung, a 1987 graduate of Wyoming Seminary who was a pre-med student at the University of Scranton, Scranton, Pa., at the time of her untimely death in 1989.

It was established in 1990 as a memorial by her parents, Dr. Hiyoung and Mrs. Helen Chung of Dunedin, Fla., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and by friends of the Chung family. It is granted annually to the student who demonstrates outstanding academic ability and leadership in extracurricular activities.

Charlene Chung, a member of Wyoming Seminary's Cum Laude Society, was captain of the field hockey team, a member of the varsity basketball squad, and the editor of the yearbook. As a University of Scranton student, she served an internship with the oncology department of a Scranton hospital.

Wyoming Seminary Dr. Kip P. Nygren thanked the Chung family for helping make possible "an outstanding educational opportunity: a most fitting memorial to their daughter." Contributions to the memorial fund in Charlene Chung’s name may be sent to Wyoming Seminary, 201 N. Sprague Avenue, Kingston, Pa., 18704. For more information, call the school at (570) 270-2190.

Twenty Wyoming Seminary Upper School students recently were selected to perform in district, regional and state chorus, band and orchestra festivals. The festivals are organized by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and honor students for excellence in voice and instrumental music.

The students named to the District Jazz Band were sophomore Matthew Blom, junior Bijoy Ghosh, freshman Bryden Gollhardt, freshman Tyler Harvey, senior Katharine Michaels, freshman Caroline Reppert, junior Ronald Rose, Shavertown; and sophomore Margaret Rupp. Students named to District Orchestra were Blom; sophomore Olivia Bolus, junior James Curtis, junior Julius Kernbach, and freshman Scott Kwiateck. Students named to District Band were Blom; Curtis; Rupp; and junior Danielle Sekel. Students named to District Chorus were junior Molly Allen, junior Jacob Baker, Blom; junior Meghan Hourigan, senior Cheuk Yan Pong, senior Nicholas Strzetetz, and senior Sonali Varhade. Blom, Curtis, Rupp and Sekel were named to Regional Band, and Blom, Brody and Kernbach was named to Regional Orchestra. Blom and Varhade were named to Regional Chorus, and Blom was named to All-State Orchestra and All-State Chorus.
   

Pictured above is the Varsity Boys Tennis team after they won the District 2 Championship against Scranton Prep on Wednesday, May 5. The team will advance to the state competition. From left: Coach Justin Naylor, Harry Parkhurst, Henry Cornell, Nick Strzeletz, George Parkhurst, Philipp Seeberger, Bijoy Ghosh, Ibon Aperribay, and Head Coach Mike Balutanski.

Read the full story on the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader's Web site:

http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Seminary_ends_Cavaliers_rsquo__reign_05-05-2010.html

Four Wyoming Seminary students were honored Monday evening at the annual Times Leader Best and Brightest award ceremony. The seniors were nominated for excellence in categories: Amanda Quick, journalism; Allison Considine, performing arts; Mike McMullan, athletics; and Amber Gollhardt, arts. Mike McMullan won for athletics.

For the full story, go to the Times Leader's Web site:

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Top-students-recognized.html