Click to view the Spring 2013 Wyoming Seminary Journal.

Nesbitt Memorial
Stadium
Two lighted synthetic turf fields,
210' by 360' and 180' by 360'
Sports: Football, Soccer, Lacrosse,
Field Hockey, Baseball, Softball
Two locker rooms
Two athletic buildings
Two team rooms
Training room
New grandstand on Hoyt Street
Entry plaza
Press box
“It is very exciting to see the work being
done and think about what the fields will
look like,” said Carrick. “It will be nice to
practice on the same field, not have to carry
equipment back and forth from another
field and not be dependent on weather
conditions like rain. In addition, playing
on a very narrow field like Payne Pettebone
lends itself to teams that boot the ball, but
on a wider field you are able to control the
ball and spread the team out. The new field
will definitely change our strategy.”
North Sprague
Avenue closure creates
pedestrian campus
North Sprague Avenue has been a part of
Sem since the school’s beginning, and every
student, teacher and staff member has had
to keep an eye out for cars when crossing
the street.
Beginning March 4, all that changed.
The street is now closed to motor vehicles
from the intersection of Sprague Avenue
and Market Street, up to the entrance of
the BPAC. The portion of North Sprague
Avenue from Hoyt Street to the BPAC
parking lot is now two way, and Hoyt Street
itself has been changed from one way to
two way.
Closing the street has been a goal for
Dr. Kip Nygren, Sem president, for more
than four years. Shortly after arriving on
campus in 2007, he observed that all the
students, faculty and staff crossed the
street nearly a thousand times every day.
He saw safety and security issues that he
wanted to correct, and he began discussing
the idea with the Kingston Borough
manager and council. Two years ago the
school and the borough, which owns the
street, came to an agreement: a portion
of the street would be leased to Sem on
a yearly basis, and the school could close
it to motor vehicles, while still allowing
public pedestrian traffic and emergency
vehicle access. After another two years
of negotiations and working with the
borough to make Hoyt Street two way with
its own traffic light, Sem received final
approvals to install the gates and close the
street.
“It took some time but it is worth the wait,”
says Nygren. “Now it will take some more
time to adjust to this change. We are all
still walking on the sidewalks.”
Dean of Upper School Jay Harvey agrees.
“It is a huge plus to have no buses idling
and no cars coming down the street when
students are dropped off each morning. I
think the community aspect is something
we will see evolve. It’s going to be an
incredible retraining opportunity that will
take a few years because you can’t look at
the closing of Sprague without looking
at the Kirby Center construction as going
hand in hand.”
To accommodate many of the cars that
used to park on Sprague Avenue and in
the BPAC parking lot, the school has built
a new parking lot across Market Street
from Sprague Hall and is allowing student
drivers to park in a municipal lot on South
Sprague.
Looking to the future
Carrying out two major building projects
at one time on an independent school
campus is an intricate challenge, requiring
energy, patience and dedication. At the
same time, however, the Trustees and
school administration
are looking ahead to
other aspects of Wyoming
Seminary that have
pressing needs, which are
part of the Campaign’s
Phase Two. With
thoughtful planning and
support from the Sem
community and friends,
Architect’s rendering of the
new entrance to Nesbitt
Memorial Stadium
these goals will be accomplished as well,
says John Shafer.
“I think it is part of the culture of being
associated with a private institution,
whether on the secondary level or the
college level that schools like ours are built
through and by philanthropy at all levels.
We are always very fortunate when we have
some people who step forward and take
the lead with very significant gifts, but I
have always been one to believe that every
gift makes a difference. My fondest hope
is that everyone connected with Wyoming
Seminary believes in the institution and
wants it to thrive for another 170 years.”
“I know it’s a cliché, but these are very
exciting times at Wyoming Seminary,”
says Rob Friedman ’73, Trustee and chair
of the property committee. “All three of
the current projects are critical for the
pragmatic goals of increasing enrollment
and enhancing the student experience at
Sem. A state-of-the-‘art’ Kirby Center, a
modernized Nesbitt Stadium with its two
lighted fields and the return of football,
and the extended campus with the closing
of Sprague Avenue, can only open more
opportunities for enrollment. Over the
years I have heard many comments such
as, ‘the campus looks basically the same as
it did 40 years ago.’ Beginning next school
year, everyone can start appreciating the
new Upper School campus.”
For Nygren, “The end result of all this
work is to provide exceptional educational
programs at Sem, to provide the means
to continually improve the techniques
and tools to help Sem students learn, and
to help them understand how to create a
meaningful life and a better world.”
New gates at the entrance
of the Buckingham
Performing Arts Center