Buffalo Seminary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Buffalo Seminary |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | |
|
205 Bidwell Parkway, Buffalo
,
|
|
| Information | |
| Type | private, all-girls |
| Established | 1851 |
| Songs | Alma Mater and Jerusalem |
| Head of School | Helen Ladds Marlette |
| Number of students | 188 |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Mascot | Red-Tailed Hawk |
| Website | www.buffaloseminary.org |
Buffalo Seminary (often called SEM) is a special private school just for girls. It's located in Buffalo, New York. SEM helps girls get ready for college and offers both day classes and boarding (where students live at the school).
Contents
What Makes SEM Special?
SEM is a member of several important groups for schools. This means it meets high standards for education. Because it's an independent school, SEM can create its own rules for learning. It doesn't have to follow all the same guidelines as public schools in New York. SEM is also known as a "Committed Steinway Select School," which means it has excellent pianos.
A Look Back: SEM's History
SEM was started way back in 1851. That makes it one of the oldest schools for girls in the United States. It's the second oldest in New York state! The school was first called The Buffalo Female Academy. Its main goal was to give young women a great education. This education would help them become active and successful in the world.
When it first opened, the school taught girls from kindergarten all the way up to what would now be the second year of college. Girls could also live at the school. In 1889, the school changed its name to Buffalo Seminary.
Later, in the late 1800s, some graduates from SEM started the Twentieth Century Club. This is one of the oldest private clubs for women in the U.S. It's even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1899, SEM decided to teach only grades 9 through 12. This happened after it joined with another school called Elmwood School. The school moved to its current location on Bidwell Parkway in 1908. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. In 2008, SEM brought back its boarding program. Now, five old homes next to the school have been fixed up for students and teachers to live in. Girls from the U.S. and all over the world now live and learn at SEM.
School Buildings and Campus
SEM's main school building is at 205 Bidwell Parkway. It was designed by an architect named George F. Newton and built in 1908. The building looks like an old English house, in the Tudor Revival style.
The school's campus also includes the five historic homes where students and teachers live. There's also Larkin Field. This is where SEM's sports teams, the Red-Tailed Hawks, play soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
In 2015, SEM started a big fundraising effort called "Remarkable Opportunities - Campaign for SEM." They wanted to raise money for new projects. By June 2016, they had raised $9.2 million! One of the main goals was to build the Magavern-Sutton Courtyard. This courtyard connects the student and teacher houses to the main school building. It opened for students in the 2016-17 school year. The school is located in the Elmwood Historic District–East.
Sports at SEM
The sports teams at Buffalo Seminary are called the Red-Tailed Hawks. There are 14 different teams! They are part of the Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association (MMHSA). SEM students play against other schools in this group. They also compete with other high schools in the area.
Girls can play sports in three different seasons. These include:
- Crew (rowing)
- Cross country (running)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Fencing
- Field hockey
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Indoor track
- Sailing
- Swimming
- Squash
- Tennis
The teams are named the Red-Tailed Hawks because these birds are often seen in Western New York. You can even see them flying over the school's sports field!
Fun School Traditions
SEM has some special traditions that make it unique:
- Honor Code: At the start of each school year, every student, teacher, and staff member signs an honor code. When students take tests or write papers, they sign a pledge. It says, "I pledge my honor that I have neither given nor received assistance." This means they promise to do their own work honestly.
- Harkness Learning: SEM uses special classrooms called Harkness classrooms. These rooms have a large, oval wooden table called a Harkness table. Students sit around this table to learn together. The teacher helps guide the discussion. Everyone gets a chance to speak and share their ideas.
- Morning Meeting: Every morning, the whole school gathers for "morning meeting" in the chapel. Instead of going straight to a homeroom, everyone meets together. The president of the School Government Association leads the meeting. Older students in the senior class often give presentations during these meetings.
- All-Girl Theatre Productions: SEM puts on two big plays each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. All the actors are girls, and girls also work behind the scenes. They handle the lighting, costumes, and other production tasks.
- Graduation: SEM's graduation ceremony for its seniors takes place at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Famous Graduates
Many talented women have graduated from Buffalo Seminary. Here are a few:
- Isabella Bannerman, a cartoonist
- Lauren Belfer, an author
- Elizabeth Coatsworth, a poet
- Barbara Culliton, a journalist and editor
- Marian de Forest, a journalist
- Virginia Horvath, 1975, who was the chancellor of SUNY Fredonia
- Amy Holden Jones, a screenwriter and director
- Nicole C. Lee, 1994, a lawyer
- Elizabeth Swados, a playwright
- Helen Tretbar, an author and editor
- Tara Vanderveer, a famous basketball coach
- Nan Watson, an artist
- Kimberly L. Wehle, a law professor
- Jane Meade Welch, a journalist and lecturer
See also
- Female seminary
- Nichols School
- Nardin Academy
- The Park School of Buffalo
Gallery
-
Buffalo Seminary, November 2010
-
Entry details, November 2010
-
On the path between the student residences and the school
See also
