Author: Western Wayne Webmaster
Junior Wildcat Football Players and Cheerleaders Recognition Night -October 19, 2018
The Junior Wildcat Football Players and Cheerleaders will be recognized on Friday, October 19th, 2018 during the Varsity Football game against Dunmore.
Players and Cheerleaders should report to the stadium by 5:50 PM.
Players/Cheerleaders only , dressed in uniform will be admitted to the game free. The football players will be allowed to warm up with the varsity players before the game, join the team in locker room for Coach Wolff’s pre-game speech, will run through the tunnel with the team! The cheerleaders will cheer with the varsity cheerleaders! Should be a great night!
Athletes of the Week for Oct 1st and Oct 8
Dylan Walck and Annie Skirpan are both seniors. Dylan is on the football team and last week against Lakeland he was outstanding on both offense and defense. He contributed 159 total yards, 6 tackles and 3 assists and he scored 2 touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Annie runs for the Cross Country team and last week they were in Hershey, PA competing against some of Pennsylvania’s best. Annie placed 59th out of 224 top runners with a time of 22:18.
Rebecca Klemovitch, Volleyball
Team 2-0 League (Lackawanna Trail & Blue Ridge)
Semi-finalist in Scranton Showdown
League – 23 Kills, 2 Blocks, 5 Digs
Tourney – 38 Kills, 7 Aces, 4 Blocks, 14 Digs
Cameron Johnson, Soccer
Team 2-0 League (Old Forge & Blue Ridge)
2 goals, 2 assists
Western Wayne Holds District Wide Food Drive
Western Wayne Middle School Student Council assisted with the collection of for their contribution to the district-wide food drive. Standing (left to right): Stephanie Soom, Aliya Fiorella, Lillian Maros, Anita Vanyo, Gavin Toy, and Julia Phillips. Kneeling (left to right): Lauren Dramisino (Secretary), Kailey Tickner (President), Natalia Borrelli (Treasurer), and Hunter Smith (Vice President).
The Western Wayne Educational Foundation and the Pride committee put together a fun and pride-filled celebration during the week of Homecoming, September 24-28th. Students at all the Western Wayne schools participated in a week-long showing of spirit.
Students across the district showed pride and respect for their schools by participating in many activities such as spirit week dress -up days, a food drive, and attending the Homecoming Football game on Friday night.
Middle School Student Council President Kailey Tickner, 8th grade, felt proud to have helped with the middle school’s efforts in the food drive.
“The food drive showed team work,” Kailey explained. “It was great to all work together as a group for it.”
Also, high school athletes and band members visited the elementary school along with Westie the Wildcat to encourage young students to participate in the festivities and increase school pride. The Western Wayne Educational Foundation, teachers, and staff donated money to purchase all students in the school district rally towels to bring to sporting events. Each student, all 1,900 of our school district, now have a rally towel to display school spirit since we all “rally together”.
“It was wonderful to see how happy all of the students were to receive the towels,” Ms. Tara Donleavy, student council advisor, said.
In addition, all the schools participated in a friendly competition to fill the food banks within our school district. Community members were also asked to bring donations to the Homecoming Game.
Middle School Student Council Treasurer Natalia Borrelli, 6th grade, felt excited to include the community in the food drive effort.
“I like bringing in the community,” she explained. “It obviously shows we have a lot of pride.”
Middle School Student Council Secretary Lauren Dramisino, 6th grade, also thought it was awesome to include the community in the food drive. Her fellow student council officer vice president, Hunter Smith, 7th grade, as well, enjoyed all of the homecoming week activities, especially the food drive.
“The food drive shows what the whole school can do when we join together,” Hunter said.
The schools in the district brought in over 3,000 nonperishable food items to donate locally. The following food pantries benefited from the generosity of the students and staff: Assembly of God, Hamlin, St. Thomas More, Lake Ariel, and the Methodist Church in Waymart.
Western Wayne Seniors Recognized as WVIA Artists of the Week
Creating surreal art and performing with renowned foreign composers are just two of the accomplishments of the Western Wayne seniors chosen to be one group of WVIA artists of the week for fall 2018.
Both Melody Gershey and Katherine Moore have been named artists of the week. Melody for her visual art work and Kat for her work with performance art.
Melody’s interest in art stemmed from time spent with family members like her grandmother sharing the same talent.
Inspiration for one of Melody’s oil paintings “Autumn Impressionism” came from a piece her grandmother had created.
“I just picked up painting from a young age,” Melody explained. “I enjoyed seeing my family’s art and found it came naturally to me as well.”
Melody said that five of her pieces will be featured for WVIA in the mediums of oil, acrylic, and colored pencil.
One piece is a reflective self-portrait.
“It’s very surreal. I’m holding a huge book in a forest,” she described. “There is also a moon that has elements of the face of a clock. I included elements of things I enjoy like books, the moon, and the concept of time.”
Melody explained that she has enjoyed developing her art skills in her classes at Western Wayne. Her art teachers first introduced her to surrealism.
“I enjoy surrealist art because people can interpret it in so many different ways,” Melody said.
She feels honored to have been recognized by WVIA and looks forward to continuing to develop her love of art. She plans to attend cosmetology school next fall and has plans to start teaching art classes at a studio in Hawley in the near future.
Kat has a great love for visual art just as Melody does. The girls are in the same art classes for their senior year. Kat explained that she also enjoys painting and other art mediums.
However, the one area Kat excels at even more than visual art is performance art. She has earned many honors with her music over her four years at Western Wayne and is being recognized by WVIA for performance art. Some of her honors include qualifying to play with region orchestra for the past two years on obo and playing with music groups in the local community including the ensemble group the Marywood University Wind Symphony.
Through performing with this Marywood group, Kat had the opportunity this past summer to travel to China on a cultural exchange program and play with famed Chinese composers. She explained how she got to be conducted by the composer of the music for the introduction for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I learned that music is truly a language for all,” Kat said. “We were all able to understand what he meant when working with him through how he expressed it.”
Kat enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments including: flute, piccolo, English horn, and her favorite instrument, the obo. She also likes singing.
Kat has had numerous meaningful experiences with music throughout her years at Western Wayne.
She named her experience playing in the pit band for Western Wayne’s production of Seussical her 8th grade year as one of her favorite times playing music at school.
“I was given the opportunity to play in the pit by my teacher Mrs. Ort. Not many 8th graders are asked to play in that particular ensemble,” Kat explained. “I was just starting to learn obo, and it was like a switch flipped for me and made me want to do music after high school.”
Kat plans to study music education next year and thinks that her experiences as one of the drum majors for the Western Wayne Wildcat Marching Band is helping her prepare for her future career.
“I love being able to go up on the podium and talk to the band and teach them,” Kat said. “In band, how you act is reflected off everyone else. I feel supported by the band as whole just as I support them in my leadership role. I love teaching people.”
Both Melody and Kat are thrilled to be one group of artists named as WVIA artists of the week for the fall of 2018. Their segment will air on WVIA in November. For the latest information on WVIA artists of the week, check their website http://www.wvia.org/education/artist-week/
Wear Pink to game on Friday!
Athletes of the Week – September 10, 17, and 24
Athletes of the Week – August 20, 27, and September 3
August 20 – McCormick and Sosa
August 27 – Rusnak and Janisewski
September 3 – Firmstone and Krompasky
Athletes of the Week – August 20, 27 and September 3.
August 20- McCormick and Sosa
August 27 -Rusnak and Janisewski
September 3 – Firmstone and Krompasky
HOMECOMING 2018
Left to Right: RJ Clemens, Bryce Urian, Nick McGlone, Dylan Walck, Jake Kunz, Gianna DeBastiani, Samantha Atcavage, Maya Black, Allison Mattern, and Paige Barillo.
Introducing your 2018 King and Queen Jake Kunz, and Gianna DeBastiani.
ALL NEWS
School Police Department participates in specialized, hands-on training.August 21, 2026This summer members of the Western Wayne School Police Department participated in specialized, hands-on training at the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PennSSI) to strengthen emergency readiness and threat response protocols.
Interactive Crisis Simulations: Officers engaged with PennSSI’s state-of-the-art multi-room simulator and 360-degree augmented reality technology, experiencing realistic emergency scenarios to test real-time decision-making and spatial awareness.
De-escalation & Tactical Response: The sessions emphasized practical de-escalation tactics, threat management, and building muscle memory for high-stress situations occurring on school grounds.
Crisis Communication & Incident Command: Training covered coordinated communication strategies within the Incident Command Structure, aligning police tactics with district administration and emergency management partners.
Behavioral Threat Assessment: Personnel expanded their knowledge on identifying concerning student behaviors, threat assessment frameworks, and applying trauma-informed protocols to keep schools secure without sacrificing a supportive environment.
This immersive training underscores Western Wayne’s ongoing commitment to proactive school safety, ensuring officers are equipped with the latest techniques to protect students, staff, and the surrounding school community. [...]
Senior Competes at FBLA National Leadership ConferenceJuly 6, 2026Western Wayne senior Grady Farley represented the school and the WW FBLA chapter at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, the week of June 29th.
Grady earned the opportunity to compete at the national level in the Agribusiness event, where he demonstrated his knowledge, preparation, and professionalism among FBLA students from across the country. Competing at nationals is an outstanding accomplishment, and the district is proud of Grady’s hard work and dedication.
Pictured is Grady Farley at the FBLA National Leadership Conference. [...]
High School Student Secures Spot on the Great Wall of HonesdaleJuly 6, 2026Western Wayne High School junior Archer Long has secured a coveted spot on the Great Wall of Honesdale with his painting entitled 250 Years Under One Flag.This year’s competition theme, 2026: American Perspective, inspired artists to explore the nation’s history, identity, and future through original works of art. Archer’s selected painting is an American depiction of our nation’s history, illustrating the symbolism of westward expansion and industrial progress. It reflects the idea that our country’s freedom was forged through sacrifice and hard work, honoring the generations whose perseverance helped shape the United States.Each selected piece is digitally reproduced on an impressive 11-by-17-foot billboard vinyl panel and exhibited for one year at the intersection of 4th and Main Streets in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.More than a decade after its inception, the Great Wall of Honesdale has evolved from showcasing primarily local artists into a juried international exhibition featuring entries from around the world. The installation is enjoyed by the occupants of more than 5 million vehicles that pass the site each year and has become a popular tourist destination. Both the exhibition theme and artwork change annually, while each year’s collection remains permanently accessible online through the Wayne County Arts Alliance, where visitors can also learn more about each exhibiting artist. Please visit the website for more information: https://waynecountyartsalliance.org/windows-on-the-wall/Congratulations to Archer Long on this outstanding artistic achievement and the opportunity to share his work with thousands of visitors throughout the coming year.Pictured is Archer Long, Western Wayne High School junior, who secured a coveted spot on the Great Wall of Honesdale and is shown standing below his painting 250 Years Under One Flag. [...]
