A good education is an important component of any child’s upbringing. Combine good education with religious studies, and you gain life experiences and spiritual foundations that yield benefits for years to come. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have long since believed in and encouraged its members to seek quality education in both secular and religious areas. Over one hundred years ago, the Church started a seminary program in religious studies for its youth.
Early Beginning
In 1912, adjacent to Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, Thomas J. Yates assumed the challenging task of organizing and teaching the first seminary class. Yates, a Cornell University trained engineer and a power plant employee, rode his horse at midday from his full-time job to teach the 70 students enrolled in the fledgling program, reported the Church’s Newsroom in a story published on 19 January 2012 (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/seminary-celebrates-century-teachi...).
Seminary is a four-year religious educational program for high school students. It is open to teenagers of all faiths. Seminary grew from the original 70 students in one location to over 375,000 enrollees in more than 140 countries today. Students study four years to complete the program; courses include Old Testament, New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants/Church History. By the time the student graduates from high school, he or she will have completed the study of all four books of scripture.
A program of religious study has been operating in Nevada for over 70 years. Bunkerville was the site of the first officially organized seminary program in 1941. Las Vegas followed in 1948. When the seminary program started keeping records in 1953, there were 394 seminary students in all of Nevada. A decade later, the number had jumped to 1,136.
50 Years of Seminary in Eagle Valley
Records for the Northern Nevada area from 1962 indicate there were 16 youth enrolled in a Deseret Club, which was an early predecessor to a full-fledged seminary program.
“My mother remembers sitting in a meeting when they announced that they were going to have seminary,” Says Marilyn Crawford, a Church member who resides in Carson City. Her parents hosted seminary in their home that same school year, 1963-64. This is believed to be the first organized seminary program in the Carson area.
Margo Leatham, currently a seminary instructor, says she remembers when seminary was held in her parents’ home, “In 1965-66, they held seminary at my parents' house (Harris). I wasn't old enough to go at that time. I just remember my mother cooking bacon for our family and feeling sorry for the kids down in the family room trying to concentrate with that aroma going on.” Leatham recalls 10 to 12 students in attendance. Seminary instruction moved to the Church’s newly completed C-Hill building for the 1967-68 school year. There were two classes; the seniors and juniors and the freshmen and sophomores.”
“I loved seminary as a youth because it gave me a good foundation of scriptural learning and helped me develop friendships I still treasure today,” says Leatham. “Now, 44 years later, I am back in seminary--teaching this time. I find I am still learning and still making great friends. Seminary is awesome!”
Kelli Asp recalls that class size in the early 1970s was about 15 students each. She fondly remembers an early morning hike up C-Hill to watch the sunrise, breakfast get-togethers, friendly scripture chase competitions with students from the Reno area, and one year they had Thanksgiving dinner at 6:30 a.m. In reminiscing about seminary, Asp said, “This was one of the happiest times of my life. We had many fun times, but also many spiritual experiences that helped shape the person I am today.”
In the mid 1970s, the seminary directors tried a seminary pilot program in Carson City called Off Campus Seminary. Leatham recalls, “The high school was way overcrowded, so it had gone to a split schedule. The sophomores, juniors, and seniors went to school from 7:00 a.m. to noon. The freshmen went to school from noon to 5:00 p.m. Instructors set up two seminary classes, both of which met at the Lutheran Church on the corner of Highway 50 and Saliman Road. The freshmen met at 11:00 a.m., and the sophomores, juniors, and seniors met at 12:30 p.m. The following year, the Lutheran Church declined to renew the space rental.
Cookie Kidder recalls in the 1977-78 school year, two seminary classes were held, one at 6:00 a.m. and the second at noon. A rented apartment across from the high school held seminary there during the C-Hill building renovation. “The teachers they had during these years were exceptional. Everyone loved them, especially the kids.”
Bob Ellison, a long time resident of Carson Valley and noted historian and author, recalls, “At the time of 1979's seminary graduation, the Gardnerville Record Courier published a large article which included quotes from Stake President Ed Carlson. He noted at the time there were about 145,000 seminary students worldwide and about 100 students in the Carson City Stake. The seminary program was administered through the Church Education Services, with local headquarters at the Church’s Institute building at UNR's campus.”
Seminary in Carson Valley
The starting date for seminary in the Carson Valley is unknown but likely 1966-67. According to Ellison, the Carson Valley first seminary teacher was the junior high school band teacher. He would pick up all of the students in his VW bus and then take them to the C.V.I.C. Hall in Minden for seminary at 6:30 am. Then he would drive them to school after seminary. His class consisted of his two boys, and five other youth, one of whom was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the summer of 1972, seminary meetings moved to the newly completed meetinghouse on Spruce Drive. This was the first chapel built in Carson Valley by the Church. Seminary classes remained at this site until 2005 when a second chapel was built on Mahogany Drive, across the street from the Douglas High School campus. Seminary classes continue to be held there today.
Ellison started teaching seminary in the fall of 1985 with a class of 15 freshman and sophomores. He recalls a time in the late 1980s when active youth from seminary were also exceptionally involved in everything else good in the community. Anytime one of the students would miss class for a variety of reasons, they quickly made up their seminary work.
Seminary studies are more than just reading scriptures; they provide an opportunity for spiritual awareness and growth. Ellison recalls a time “when two young men on their way to seminary one morning narrowly missed losing their lives when another vehicle came across the centerline so far that it hit the boys’ vehicle on the passenger side. The Deputy Sheriff and witnesses could not believe it was possible for anyone to survive such destruction, yet they were only slightly injured. These were testimony builders for the whole class as they pondered how God knows us all, individually, and has a work for us to do.”
The Seminary Program Today
Today, the seminary program in the area consists of early morning classes before the start of public school. Classes begin anywhere from 6:00 to 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday during the school year; seminary class is not held during the summer months. Although classes primarily consist of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth, the program welcomes youth from other religions to attend. Youth may enroll in seminary at the time they would be entering their freshmen year in public school.
“The curriculum gives students a chance to understand sequentially what the scriptures teach,” says Chad H. Webb, administrator of Seminaries and Institutes for the Church. “They discover the stories, the people, the backgrounds, and the history of those volumes of scripture. It’s a process that allows them to find answers to questions in their own lives.”
“Seminary is an incomparable opportunity to study the scriptures and improve gospel learning,” says Leatham. “Sure, it's a sacrifice to get up at 5:30 a.m. every weekday, but important things are worth sacrificing for, and I feel that we come to appreciate those things all the more.”
The youth of today are just as committed to seminary as the generations before them. Grant Brewer completed all four years of seminary study and received a certificate of graduation in 2011 as well as a diploma from Carson High School the same year. Brewer says, “In some ways, I think it was harder to graduate from seminary than from high school. It was a real struggle getting up early to attend seminary before school started, but the sacrifice was well worth it. I feel better prepared to meet life’s challenges.”
“The way seminary is taught, it sparks a curiosity for deeper thought,” says 14-year-old Matt Tucker who is home schooled. When asked why he likes seminary, Tucker said he likes the social involvement, scripture mastery, and object lessons. He continued, “Attending seminary has given me a better perspective of who I am as a person.”
Abby Dudley, a sophomore at Carson High School, plays on the JV volleyball team, plays basketball, is a member of the track team, and is a member of the National Honor Society. When asked about a memorable experience at seminary she responded, “One time our teacher gave us a blue string to tie on our shoes or around our wrist or a finger. This string was to remind us to stand up for religion and help us to think about what Christ would do or say. Sometimes high school is scary, and attending seminary helps me be in a better mood and to focus on doing what is right.”
The seminary legacy that began 100 years ago will continue to build youth of character and commitment to strong moral values. Northern Nevada leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have emphasized their commitment and support of seminary. Carson City Stake President David Haws stated, “The youth of today have a lot going for them, but they also have challenges that are more difficult than we had in our day. The Church’s seminary program provides youth with an added arsenal of tools to remain strong in the face of moral and ethical decisions they face now and in the future.”