This is a fundraiser to benefit the Western Wayne sophomore class of 2023. If you have any questions please contact Trina Collins (tcarito@westernwayne.org), or Helene Tscheschlog (htscheschlog@westernwayne.org). ***PLEASE NOTE*** – This survey is being used to gather interest. – Order forms will be available in each of the building main offices, and monies collected by building secretaries. – Orders and payment must be in by May 14th. – Ticket books will be available for pick up during the week of May 21st.
The National Business Honor Society is designed to recognize FBLA members who truly excel in academic preparation and will pursue an eventual career in the business world. Pennsylvania FBLA recognizes that to succeed as a true business leader, members need to be well prepared in terms of their academics, career skills, and leadership development. Nominees must have an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, an overall cumulative GPA of 3.5 in a minimum of two completed business courses, demonstrated leadership, and have clearly defined career objective. This year, two members of Western Wayne FBLA have been inducted into the National Business Honor Society. Lacey Falloon and Lenny Maiocco were recognized at the PA FBLA Virtual State Leadership Conference in April. Both received a membership certificate, an honor society pin, and honor cords to be worn at graduation. From left: Lacey Falloon and Lenny Maiocco.
Elaine Ort, band director for Western Wayne High School, will join band directors from across the country next January 1st in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Rose Parade. A custom-designed animated float will lead a “marching band of band directors” up to 300 strong from across the country. The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, Ohio, is the sponsoring organization behind the project. The foundation was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington and the Central Ohio area for more than 38 years. The parade entry will convey the theme, “We teach music. We teach life.” The extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors are well known to their students, to parents and to school teachers and administrators. No matter where they teach and work—public and private schools, colleges and universities, the military, community bands—dedicated music educators and leaders work long hours to not only teach and direct music, but to teach life itself. Students’ lives in particular are positively changed by a motivational leader who taught, inspired and mentored them. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to march in the parade,” Ort said. “It is an honor to represent Western Wayne.” Elaine Ort has devoted much of her life to the study and performance of music. A native of New England and graduate of Marywood University, Elaine is a member of the Scranton Brass Orchestra, the Providence Brass, the Schützengiggles Oompah Band, the Marywood University Wind Symphony, and performs often in musical pit orchestras throughout the region. As an educator, Elaine serves as the director of instrumental activities in the Western Wayne School District since 2014. At Western Wayne, her teaching responsibilities include sixth grade brass instruction, eighth grade band instruction, and the Pride of Western Wayne, the Wildcat High School Band. Under her direction and guidance the school continues to invest heavily in its music program, and was recently named a KHS America Academic Alliance Platinum school for its investment in instrumental education. It is the only school in Pennsylvania, and one of only 39 in the United States to have received that honor. Complete details on the project are available on the Saluting America’s Band Directors website, BandDirectorSalute.org.
Western Wayne’s CTC cosmetology junior Madison Bower won the Gold Medal in the CTC District Cosmetology Competition and then went on to place third in the State Competition. Both competitions took place this past spring virtually.
At the district level, Madison competed in the nail competition. This is a notable accomplishment as she is one of very few juniors to participate and only Gold Medalists are invited to compete at the state level. At the state level, Madison also did the nail competition and placed third. At first, Madison did not realize how prestigious the competitions she was a part of were. “After winning gold in the district competition is when I found out how big this competition actually was. I googled SkillsUSA and saw all the opportunities I had with this type of competition. That’s when I started getting really nervous,” Madison explained. “I did nails every free second I had. My house smelled like a nail salon 24/7. I focused mainly on the nail art. But the state competition required much more. It wasn’t as simple as gluing on tips and a quick acrylic layer. We had to do a gel overlay as well as sculpted acrylics which is where you sculpt the nail itself with no tip. I also had to know all the nail health and nail care for the interview questions. Then the nail art for five nails with a theme.” Madison’s hard work and preparations paid off with her third place win at the state competition.
“ I can’t wait for next year and the chance at coming back to a SkillsUSA competition either in the nail care or cosmetology (hair) part of the competition,” Madison explained. She is excited to compete in a variety of areas and demonstrate her skills. Madison has been interested in the cosmetology field for many years. She discussed what first got her hooked. “When I was probably 12 years old, I went swimming and my hair turned bright green,” Madison described. “No matter what we did the green wouldn’t come out, so my mom let me dye my hair, and it escalated from there. My hair has been every color you can think of. After that I started really getting into make up. I was always watching YouTube and trying out all types of makeup techniques. When I found out about CTC and that they had a cosmetology program, I knew when I was a freshman that I would apply to CTC for the program and see if this was the right field for me. I absolutely love it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” Madison feels passionately about all aspects of cosmetology. “ I love almost everything to do with cosmetology,” she explained. “I think my favorite part is just being able to be creative whether it’s with nail art, hair coloring, up-dos. I just love trying new things and see how it turns out.” Madison plans to pursue the cosmetology field after graduation next year. “My future goals are to attend college for a business degree as well as cheer in college and to work in a salon while earning my degree,” she explained. “ I’d also have to keep up on continuing education for cosmetology. Once out of school, I would love to open my own salon and possibly my own competitive cheer team. I have two loves, cosmetology and cheerleading.” Pictured is Western Wayne junior Madison Bower with her gold medal and some of her cosmetology tools.
Pictured is Caitlyn Burdick, Western Wayne FCCLA president, who won the Western Wayne FCCLA Chapter Member of the Year Award at a recent virtual Eastern Region FCCLA conference.
From left Western Wayne students Zoey Goldman and Kennedy Mistishin who were recognized as Silver Medal Recipients at a recent virtual Eastern Region FCCLA conference for the Community Service Project event.
Pictured is Western Wayne student Adelaide Treibley who was also recognized as a Silver Medal Recipient at a recent virtual Eastern Region FCCLA conference for her work in the Professional Presentation event.
Western Wayne Family Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) recently were recognized for being Silver Medal Recipients at a virtual Eastern Region FCCLA conference. These students are now part of the Star Events National Team and will compete this summer at the virtual national conference.
FCCLA President Caitlyn Burdick, senior, won the Western Wayne FCCLA Chapter Member of the Year Award. Caitlyn serves as president of the club and has worked on many projects this school year.
“I most enjoyed my work this year planning our community events such as our Breakfast with Santa Drive-through,” Caitlyn, who plans to attend Marywood University upon graduation with a major in early childhood education, said. “We did our best to work with COVID guidelines for such programs. It was really worth it to see the smiles on little kids faces when they saw Santa at our event.”
Another winner at the conference was junior Adelaide Treibley. She competed in the Professional Presentation event. She had to present a ten-minute speech on the topic of her choice which was unemployment.
Adelaide feels passionately about her topic. She discussed how she thinks a solution to the unemployment problem is to have more funding for higher education. Therefore, more people would be trained for specialized jobs. Adelaide became interested in this topic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She explained how she had to dress professionally for her presentation and deliver her message in a strong and academic manner.
Adelaide placed second in this STAR Event. She will compete virtually in the National FCCLA competition.
In addition, Western Wayne juniors Kennedy Mistishin and Zoey Goldman placed second for their Community Service Project event. The girls were co-chairs of Western Wayne’s Drive-Through Breakfast with Santa this past December. For the competition, they had to create a display board and give a ten-minute speech about their experiences creating, preparing, and running the event.
The girls explained how they created a board with many pictures of their successful event along with how they illustrated their budget.
“I discussed how we were thrilled to get people out for our event, yet still keep them at a safe distance,” Kennedy explained.
Zoey added, “It was such a good event during a year where our community has struggled so much. I think we really helped the community.”
Both Kennedy and Zoey look forward to moving on to the National level of competition for their service project. The girls also feel excited for their senior year in FCCLA where they hope to do even more good for the community.
PPL awarded Western Wayne student Amy Newman Wireless Beats Headphones as a prize for completing a survey about her usage of tools in the Innovation Kit that all Western Wayne 9th grade high school students and some students in other grades got as a part of the PPL Think! Energy program this past fall. The students were challenged to use the items in the kit such as a smart power strip and a special shower head for water conservation, among other items. Newman and many other Western Wayne students used these items and then filled in a survey about their experiences. Newman was the lucky winner drawn at random for the Western Wayne School District. “I love my Wireless Beats Headphones,” Amy said. “They are so much fun.” Pictured is Amy Newman enjoying her prize.
1st row (l to r): Morgan Coccodrilli, Rhayni Carroll, Emily Romanowski, Kaeli Romanowski, Gabby Tetreault, Rachel Tuman, Adrian Agnello 2nd row (l to r): Skylar Long, Julie Bryan, Alaina Maiocco, Laynee Nugent, Rachel Hoch, Lacey Falloon, Alex Hineline, Alex Chapman, Dustin Ferraro
Twenty members of Western Wayne’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter were recognized at the Awards of Excellence program during the Virtual State Leadership Conference held recently.
During this conference, senior Lenny Maiocco, the PA FBLA Parliamentarian, and the other state officers conducted the session from their homes. Nine officers were elected/appointed to lead the organization during the 2021-2022 school year including Morgan Coccodrilli, State Reporter; and Gabby Tetreault, State Parliamentarian. Both students are juniors at Western Wayne.
The top ten members/teams were recognized for their performance in one of the 70+ different competitive events. The top four winners in each event qualify for the National Leadership Conference to also be held virtually because of the Pandemic.
The members from Western Wayne included: Intro to Parliamentary Procedure: Jenna Kwiatkowski, first; Alex Chapman, third; and Skylar Long, fifth place. Intro to FBLA: Rhayni Carroll, second; and Emily Romanowski, tenth place. Parliamentary Procedure. The team of Lenny Maiocco, Lena Piccolino, Gabby Tetreault, Rachel Hoch, and Kaeli Romanowski, third place. Accounting II: Alex Hineline, fifth; and Lacey Falloon, ninth place. Management Decision Making, Rachel Tuman, fifth place. Intro to Public Speaking: Adrian Agnello. Word Processing: Laynee Nugent; Intro to Business Presentation: Alaina Maiocco and Ella Pavlovich, ninth place. Public Service Announcement: the team of Julie Bryan, Cyrah Biehler, and Dustin Ferraro, ninth place.
In addition, the Western Wayne chapter placed fourth in the Outstanding Chapter event and third in the Local Market Share Award. Lenny Maiocco placed third in Who’s Who in Pennsylvania FBLA and William Selden Scholarship Award.
Photo (left to right): Adalyn Fox, Morgan Malloy, Liam Pauler, Mrs. Maria Shelp, Grace Owens, and Vincent Delaney
Officers of R.D. Wilson’s student council wanted to do something special for their school nurse, Mrs. Shelp. Recognizing that this has been an especially challenging year for nurses, they arranged for a surprise presentation during student lunch. A personalized poster and special gift basket were given along with some thankful words including:
“You had to make a lot of tough decisions throughout the year, and we appreciate that.”
“You’re an amazing school nurse, and it’s time that everyone knows it!”
The gift basket included some of Mrs. Shelp’s favorite things, such as Doritos, Swedish Fish, and Alice in Wonderland mask and necklace.
We would like to extend our appreciation for all of the medical staff working in our district and surrounding area. Thank you for all that you have done to keep us safe and healthy this past year!
What options exist both before and after graduation for individuals with special needs? Come learn about the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Job coaching, the Office of Developmental Programs waivers, PROJECT SEARCH, Community Participation Supports, Post Secondary options, ABLE accounts and other supports. For more information or help with the zoom link, contact James Furiosi jfuriosi@cmpmhds.org or 570-730-3981 or Traci Hall thall@waynecountypa.gov 570-253-9200
Ticket prices are 5.95 for Western Wayne students and senior citizens and 7.95 for the general public.
The students have been working on the musical since January and are excited to perform their show live via the internet.
The full-length classic tale of Cinderella finding her prince will be performed by our cast. The show is perfect for kids of all ages!
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to entertain the public in this new way,” senior Rhonda Fenkner, who plays Cinderella, said. “We are so grateful to have this chance to do what we love, and hope the public enjoys the show!”
Any questions on how to purchase a ticket, contact Mrs. McLaughlin at jmclau@wwsd.io
ALL NEWS
Art Show a SuccessMay 16, 2025Western Wayne hosted their annual spring Art Show on Saturday, May 10, for the community. The show featured art from students in grades 8 through 12 and art from graduating seniors. The following list of seven seniors exhibited their portfolios at the art show: Aubrey Bell, Andy Dickison, Cedar Gilpin, Lillian Maros, Davis Sheppard, Neima Smith-Horst, and Lizzie Washine. Their displays represented an accumulation of up to four years of artwork.
Senior Aubrey Bell’s featured display focussed on contrast.
“In my senior display, I juxtaposed elements like skulls and flowers,” Aubrey explained. “To me, this pairing symbolizes the inherent beauty in contrast–how life and death are not opposites, but part of a shared, nature cycle. By combining them, I aim to present death not as an end, but as a meaningful and even peaceful transition.”
Aubrey said that Marvel and DC comics often influence her creative perspective as well.
She plans to attend Penn State University to pursue a four-year degree in nursing, with the ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon. In addition, she always plans to carry her artistic perspective with her.
Senior Andy Dickison’s artwork centers around the human form and all the ways it can be bent. Andy takes inspiration from artists who use “gross” color palettes and strange perspectives. In addition, drum-heavy grunge music has also been inspirational.
“A message I want to send through my pieces is that they can never be exactly replicated again,” Andy explained. “AI image generators cannot replace human creativity and artwork.”
Andy is proud of doing the artwork for the cover of the December issue for Happening Magazine this school year and for being Artist of the Week on WVIA.
Andy plans to attend Kutztown University and major in art.
Senior Cedar Gilpin feels that in her time taking art class throughout her high school career has really helped her expand her creative mind.
“A major source of inspiration for me is my mother,” Cedar said. “She’s always been incredibly creative and has encouraged me to express myself through drawing, painting and more. I’m genuinely proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, and I believe the skills I’ve developed will benefit me greatly in the future.”
Cedar will attend college in the fall with a major in art therapy.
Senior Lillian Maros’ display centered around art inspired by her family.
“My inspiration is my family and things I experience around me,” Lilly explained. “My father and brother are both cowboys. Yes, they still exist. They participate in rodeos around the country and are often far from home. My art is a way of connecting to them when I can’t see them, and showing my support for them as they have supported me. My mural is the centerpiece of my display, as is my art. It is the explanation of how my relationship with my brother works.”
Lilly is greatly inspired by all members of her family including her mother and grandparents as well as her father and brother. She is also strongly guided by her faith in God.
Lilly plans to move with her family to Texas after graduation where she intends to start her own mobile coffee truck.
Senior Davis Sheppard believes his artwork has helped him grow as a person.
“My artwork has profoundly shaped my life, giving me a more positive outlook and inspiring personal growth to elevate my creative expression,” Davis explained. “Through my work, I found meaning and a sense of identity–I became someone. It also helped me open up to others.”
Davis wants others to know how truly free art is.
Davis plans to attend Marywood University to earn a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
Senior Neima Smith-Horst’s primary medium for art is mixed media, combining unexpected things together and creating peace, but also holding versatility.
“Everything comes from trusting the process, and I find peace in creating and trusting my own heart in making something,” she explained. “Art is an escape for me, something to do without pressure and insecurity. Being able to create different things allows me to capture what I wish was, what I fear, feel, love, enjoy, and even things I have no interest or control over.”
Neima plans to continue to work and also attend college for directing and filmmaking.
Finally, senior Lizzie Washine has always had a love for art.
Watercolor is her favored medium.
“I draw inspiration from everything around me: my personal experiences, the world I observe, the music I love, and the poetry and literature I read,” she explained. “Art surrounds us in so many forms. I see it in the lyrical depth of artists like Bob Dylan, The Doors, and even Noah Kahan, and Zach Bryan–where every word feels intentional and alive with meaning.”
Lizzie plans to attend Duquesne University to pursue a dual major in elementary and special education with a minor in creative writing.
All of the seniors are grateful for the experiences they had at Western Wayne in their art classes.
The District wishes them the best on their future endeavors and congratulates the Art Department on another successful Art Show.
From left: Aubrey Bell, Davis Sheppard, Cedar Gilpin, Neima Smith-Horst, Lizzie Washine, and Lilly Maros. Absent from photo: Andy Dickison. [...]
Community Invited to Annual CatWalk Fashion Show on May 22May 16, 2025Western Wayne Fashion students are thrilled to invite the community to their annual CatWalk Fashion Show on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. This year the show titled “Eco Floral Fusion” is focussed on the theme of eco- sustainability .Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. Free admission! The students will also host the show for an audience of their peers during the school day on Thursday, May 22.
Pieces made by students in grades 9 through 12 will be featured. The students also worked in teams that represent fashion collections based on the four seasons. The lead designers for the collections are senior Lily Kieva, spring collection, sophomore Bella Kolp, winter collection; sophomore Emma DeNunzio, summer collection; and sophomore Addriana Cangas, fall collection.
Show director and fashion teacher Andrea McCleland explained the way the students created their seasonalities collections to reflect the theme of the show.
“The designers thrifted what’s on stage,” she explained. “We studied in class how the fashion industry has been a burden on the environment, so for the seasonalities portion of our show, we have set an example of not burdening the environment for these collections.”
Senior Lily Kieva is excited to debut her Lily of the Valley collection for the spring portion of the competition.
“It is a perfect theme for me,” she explained. “It is an eccentric spring theme with a reference to my name and Pennsylvania flowers of the valley.”
Lily is a four-year fashion student at Western Wayne. Upon graduation, she will attend Marywood University with a major in secondary education history with the intention of also earning a special education certificate.
She is most fond of the memories she has made through creating fashion and plans to continue to create designs after graduation with her sewing machine at home.
Fellow designer Bella Kolp also owns a sewing machine and learned how to sew at a young age.
She is thrilled to debut her winter collection called Whispers of Winter and other pieces in the show.
Bella shared how she has tied in another meaningful part of her high school years to the fashion show.
For the past two years, she has been a part of a program called EF Language Abroad which has given her the opportunity to study Japanese language and culture abroad in Japan both last summer and again this upcoming summer.
“I got the opportunity to study the language for about four hours a day and then travel throughout Japan,” she explained.
She discussed how one of the pieces she created for the show was inspired by her time in Japan. Bella aspires to study business in college.
Fellow sophomore Emma DeNunzio, who was encouraged by her aunt to start sewing years ago, is also excited to share her summer collection.
Emma just played the supporting role of Ali in Western Wayne’s production of Mamma Mia!
“One of my more beach-themed pieces was influenced by the musical,” she explained.
Her fellow fashion classmate sophomore Addriana Cangas is also happy to debut her fall collection at the show. She has greatly enjoyed her experience creating fashion and can’t wait to present her work to the community with her classmates and teacher.
McCleland and her students feel so grateful to be able to invite the community to their evening show on Thursday, May 22, and they look forward to creating more designs to share with the Western Wayne community in the future.
From left, standing: Chloe Gilpin, model; Clare Coccodrilli, model; Avery Ullner, model; and Davis Sheppard, model. From left, kneeling: Lily Kieva, designer; and Bella Kolp, designer. [...]
Hartman Named NEIU 19 Scholar of the Year and Scholastic SuperstarMay 14, 2025Senior, Lia Hartman, was recently recognized as both the NEIU 19 Scholar of the Year and The Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar. The Scholastic Superstar Ceremony was held on May 5th at Lackawanna College. NEIU Scholar of the Year Ceremony was held on May 6th at Carbondale Area Jr./Sr. High School.Lia is a highly involved student who is the president of the Science Club. She, also, is in Envirothon, National Honor Society, and is president of the Band. In addition, she served as a drum major for the past two years playing the flute and piccolo.“I have learned a lot about leadership in my time at Western Wayne,” she said. “I’ve come to embrace the fact that everyone I work with is unique and to have success leading them I have to adjust to their needs. I have become a more understanding and open-minded person through being a drum major.”Hartman will take the leadership skills she learned at Western Wayne to college next year. She will be attending The University of Scranton in the fall with a major in biochemistry.“The human body is really interesting,” she said. “I want to contribute to people’s health, and I enjoy lab work best, so pathology embodies what I see for my future.”From left: Western Wayne High School Principal Mr. Paul B. Gregorski and Lia Hartman. [...]
Kloss Sets Junior High School RecordMay 14, 2025Congratulations to Kaitlyn Kloss for setting the JH School Record in the 3200 with a time of 12:23.74 with a Gold Medal effort at Abington Heights tonight in a makeup event from the invitational two weeks ago. Garrett Malakin earned a Bronze Medal in the event with a time of 11:56.24. From left: Kloss and Malakin. [...]
Band Director Receives PMEA District 9 Citation of Excellence AwardMay 14, 2025Mrs. Elaine Ort formerly received thePennsylvania Music Educators Association District 9 Citation of Excellence award at the school board meeting on Wednesday, May 7. Mrs. Ort is the only band director in District 9 to be chosen for the award this year. This award is given to music educators who demonstrate high musical standards both inside and outside the classroom. She attended an awards banquet at the PMEA State Conference in April to receive recognition for this award as well.
In addition, Mrs. Ort has had the honor of being a member of America’s Bands Directors with her most recent appearance with this group at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The district is proud of Mrs. Ort’s past and most recent accomplishments.
Pictured is Mrs. Ort, PMEA District 9 vice president, shaking hands with and receiving her framed award from PMEA District 9 President Dr. Thomas Bassett.
Second picture is of Mrs. Ort with her well-deserved award. [...]
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention
program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize
warning signs and signals, especially within social media,
from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others
and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late.
