This summer The AllOne
Charities, Northeast PA Area Health Education Center, and The Wright Center for
Community Health have provided “Stop the Bleed Kits” to the Western
Wayne School District for use in all four district buildings. This past
school year all Western Wayne employees received training from medical
professionals employed by Wayne Memorial Hospital in how to properly handle
medical emergencies involving wounds that a bleeding control kit would
warrant.
The groups
involved in providing the kits have partnered together as part of a national
awareness campaign to provide bleeding control kits and training “to
encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a
bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.”
Presenter Valarie
Williams, B.A., TTS., bestowed high school principal Paul Gregorski and high
school nurse Denise Johnson with one wall-mounted kit for each of the four
schools in the district. Each wall-mounted kit includes eight individual
kits. Western Wayne is grateful to have been granted these kits to assist in
their continued efforts to make the district well-equipped to handle any
medical emergency that may arise. “We are very thankful to have
received the generous donation of these kits,” Gregorski said. From
left, Denise Johnson, high school nurse; Valarie Williams, B.A., TTS., and Paul
Gregorski, high school principal.
The Western Wayne Coaching Staff will be hold a softball camp for girls entering grades 3 – 9. The camp is open to anybody, not just Western Wayne Students. It will be held on June 17-20, 2019.
The Western Wayne Girls Lead Club recently completed
their annual collection for Victims Intervention. The student body and faculty
at large contributed. The group raised $1000 throughout the year and purchased
supplies for Victims Intervention with the funds. Pictured are members who worked on the spring
collection of funds among other activities throughout the year. From left, Evan
Thomas, Noelle Orehek, Sydney Peet, and Trina Barcarola
Eleven FBLA members/business students from Western Wayne High School recently participated in “Manners Matter,” an event sponsored by the Wayne County School-to-Work Committee. The event was held at Lackawanna College Lake Region and featured a gourmet luncheon catered and donated by the Lords Valley Country Club,
Students from Forest City, Wayne Highlands, Wallenpaupack, and Western Wayne participated. Prior to the serving of the meal, presentations on proper meal etiquette and job interviewing skills were given by Justin Genzlinger of the Settlers Hospitality Group, and Ryan French, Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources at the Wayne Bank, respectively.
Those attending included Rachel Hineline, Allison Mattern, Krystal Tregaskis, Abby Burke, Abby Gogolski, Gracie Guarino, and Caroline Trygar, David Tucker, Austin Boguski, Jake DuBeau, and Jake Kunz. Theresa Lubash, FBLA adviser and business teacher, accompanied the students.
From left, Elizabeth Wasylyk, who received the Daughters of the American Revolution Award; and Charles Dietrich, who received the American Legion Award
In the
popular movie musical The Greatest
Showman both a younger and older version of the character P.T. Barnum sings
the song “A Million Dreams” about everything he wishes to accomplish in his
life. Therefore, it seemed only fitting that the 8th grade Western
Wayne Middle School chorus would sing this song in front of their family and
friends at the Middle School’s annual Moving-Up Ceremony held on the morning of
Monday, June 10, in the Middle School Gym.
“Cause every night I lie in bed/ The brightest colors fill
my head/ A million dreams are keeping me
awake/ I think of what the world could be/
A vision of the one I see/ A million dreams is all it’s gonna take/ A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make,” the
students sang as everyone in attendance sat and reflected on the students’ time
in the middle school and wished them the best for their new journey in high
school.
Eighth grade students, their teachers,
administrators, and family members all attended the ceremony along with their
fellow 6th and 7th grade classmates and teachers.
All 8th grade students
received awards in various categories for excellence or improvement in all
academic and unified arts classes. In
addition, students received awards for good citizenship, excellent work habits,
and for a variety of high academic achievements such as making the honor roll
for 11 quarters in middle school from 6th through 8th
grade.
It is also a Western Wayne Middle
School tradition for many years that two outstanding students, one male and one
female, are recognized for their patriotism and leadership among other
qualities. The local chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution and the local American Legion present
these awards.
Charlene Edgerton and Eloise Fasshauer
presented the Daughters of the American Revolution Award to 8th
grader Elizabeth Wasylyk.
Elizabeth received the good
citizenship medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution for being an
outstanding student in the 8th grade class who exhibits the
qualities of honor and honesty, service, courage, leadership, and patriotism.
George Shaffer presented the American
Legion Award to 8th grader Charles Dietrich.
Charles received this annual award for
being an outstanding student in the 8th grade class who exhibits the
qualities of honor, scholarship, Americanism, leadership, and courage.
Both Elizabeth and Charles felt
extremely honored to receive their respective awards. They also both, at first, felt shocked to
learn the Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Legion had
chosen them for these high honors.
“I felt surprised and honored,”
Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth is a high
honor roll student who enjoys spending much of her free time reading a variety
of books. She has been a member of the
school’s Reading Team throughout her middle school career. Now she looks forward to new academic
challenges in the high school.
“I’m looking forward to taking all of my honors classes next
year,” Elizabeth explained. She will
take honors courses in the areas of English, history, and science.
Her fellow honoree Charles also looks forward to his honors
courses next year in history and geometry. In addition, he feels excited for a
new routine.
“I’m excited to be going to a new school with my friends and
to have more freedom,” Charles, who plays baseball and basketball for Western
Wayne, explained.
Middle School Principal Kristen
Donohue gave closing remarks at the ceremony.
She cited lyrics from the song “Just One Person” and encouraged the
students to reflect on the people who helped to shape their lives in middle
school and to remember the importance of, above all else, being someone who
believes in him or herself.
As the song goes, “If just one person believes in you/ Deep enough, and strong enough, believes in
you/ Hard enough, and long enough before you knew it, /Someone else would think,
if he can do it, I can do it.”
It is the hope of the middle school staff that this eighth
grade class will take all that they have learned in their middle school careers
and use it to guide them into their journey as high school students in the
fall.
The Western Wayne Band has been accepted as a platinum member of the Jupiter KHS Academic Alliance. As a platinum member, the band will have access to test instruments, can be a local ambassador for Jupiter artists, and will receive a complimentary appearance by one of the rostered professional artists. In addition, the band will be represented on the KHS website with a small blurb and the school logo.
Western Wayne Band Director Elaine Ort greatly looks forward to being a part of this amazing program in the coming school year. She explained that the band will have the potential to be featured in future KHS literature both in photos and written articles.
“We are the 31st school in the country to receive this status, and the 1st school in Pennsylvania,” Ort said. “I am extremely proud of our students and can’t wait for them to benefit from this program in the coming years.”
From left, this year’s Western Wayne Wildcat Marching Band Drum Majors Kat Moore and Lindsey Karwacki. They are pictured at the marching band’s final performance of the year, the annual Flag Day Parade in Waymart held this past Saturday, June 8.
Pictured is Mindy Maros owner of LLC Lake Wallenpaupack Marine Storage and Repair.
Pictured is business owner Lenny Wargo of Heads Up Flooring with his son Landon Wargo, a sixth grader at Western Wayne Middle School.
Pictured is Joyce Keen DeBastiani owner of the Wallflower for 34 years.
Pictured are business partners Jordan Hayden and Melissa Morgan of Salon Jam.
Pictured is Jeff Gogolski of Beck, Gogolski, Poska & Co.
Pictured is Katharine Brown owner of Fox Hill Farm.
Good leadership skills, a positive attitude,
willingness to put in long hours, and a passion for your work are all qualities
that many of the local business owners at Western Wayne Middle School’s first
Entrepreneurship Day discussed with students.
The
eighth grade class was treated to presentations by a dozen local business
owners on the afternoon of Thursday, June 6.
The students signed up to hear about businesses in fields of their
interests prior to the experience. They
then had the opportunity to listen to some of the working professionals in
three half-hour sessions.
Business
owners who participated included:
Katharine Brown, owner of Fox Hill Farm; Joyce Keen DeBastiani, owner of
the Wallflower and the Lodge at Keen Lake; Jordan Hayden, owner of Salon Jam;
Rick Hoch, owner of Hoch Oil and Heat; Mindy Maros, owner of LLC Lake
Wallenpaupack Marine Storage and Repair; Lenny Wargo, owner of Head Up
Flooring; Attorney Michael Farley; Ron Augelli, owner of Augelli Printing; Jeff
Gogolski, of Beck, Gogolski, Poska & Co.; Carl Lutkowski, owner of C&S Athletic Club,
Dr. Cathy Salak, dentist; and Mike Walsh, of Guide Light Counseling.
Eighth
grader Alyson Buchinski said she enjoyed Walsh’s presentation and learned about
the qualities that good counselors must have in order to succeed.
“I
learned you have to be able to speak well for that career,” Alyson said.
Another
presenter who spoke about good communication skills was Joyce Keen DeBastiani
of the Wallflower and the Lodge at Keen Lake.
DeBastiani said she
learned how to stand her ground in business operations at a young age. She explained to the students how when she was
eight years old she would place candy orders for her father’s business.
“The candy man was afraid
of me because I knew how to say no,” DeBastiani explained to the students. “He would try to sell me anything and
everything, but I made sure we got what was best for our customers.”
DeBastiani’s family has
owned and run the Lodge at Keen Lake for many years. In addition, she has owned and operated the
Wallflower for 34 years. She explained
how the Wallflower, located in downtown Honesdale, sells a variety of unique
clothing and jewelry among many other items.
She told students that to
be successful in business you have to wear many hats.
“I’m a buyer, seller, manager,
merchandiser, and even sometimes a janitor,” DeBastiani explained.
Above all else, she told
students her favorite part about owning her business is loving what she does
every day.
“I don’t mind working
hard because I love what I do,” DeBastiani said.
Another business owner at
the event, who equally loves what she does, is Katharine Brown, owner of the
wedding venue Fox Hill Farm.
Brown felt especially
thrilled to speak to Western Wayne Middle School students since she taught at
Western Wayne Middle School for four years in the early 2000s.
“Any chance to speak in
front of young people is a favorite day for me,” Brown said. “It is good to expose kids to different
possibilities through events like this.
I want them to know that you never know where life will take you and
that the college track isn’t for everyone.”
Brown explained that her
business started as an operation where she made floral arrangements for a
variety of events until one day a bride asked if she could have her actual
wedding at the venue Brown was creating the flowers.
“It was a very organic
start to our event venue business,” Brown explained.
In addition, Brown said
that in recent times she opened a second venue called 6th & River
that is a restored brick warehouse. She
explained that this venue is very helpful because of the unpredictable weather
we have been experiencing.
Another business
owner who is just as ambitious as Brown
is Jordan Hayden, 2015 Western Wayne graduate, and her business partner Melissa
Morgan, 2015 North Pocono graduate, who own Salon Jam in Covington Township. Salon Jam has been in business since
2012.
Hayden and Morgan were
glad to be asked to share their experiences with Western Wayne students.
“I loved to see how
excited they were,” Morgan said.
“Hearing our story helped them to understand how businesses work in real
life.”
Hayden was glad to have
the chance to represent the beauty industry at the event.
“Our industry isn’t
always taken seriously,” Hayden explained.
“It’s good to let the students know that they have creative options for
careers.”
She went on to explain
how much she enjoys working in a close- knit community.
“It’s such a close circle,
and it’s really great to get to have so many customers who are connected to
each other in different ways,” Hayden explained. “It’s like working with customers who are all
part of a big extended family.”
Another business owner at
the event who knows about working with family was Lenny Wargo owner of Head Up
Flooring. Wargo explained how he has worked in his family’s business for 28
years and took over running operations twelve years ago.
Much like the other
business owners, Wargo told the students about the commitment it takes to run a
business and the commitment he is looking for from his employees and future
employees.
“In order to be
successful, you schedule your life around your work not the other way around,”
Wargo said.
A 1997 Western Wayne
graduate, Wargo was glad to give back to his school community by speaking to
the students.
“It was neat to interact
with them,” Wargo said. “They had a lot
of questions about the money aspect of business.”
This isn’t the first time
Wargo has worked in some respect at the school he graduated from. Wargo
explained how in recent years his company did the flooring in parts of the
middle school and high school along with redoing the flooring in the high
school and middle school gyms among other Western Wayne campus remodeling
projects.
“I remember I helped my
dad put the original flooring in the high school gym as well about twenty years
ago,” Wargo said. “Now that is really
full circle.”
Wargo’s son Landon, who
is a sixth grader at Western Wayne Middle School, is keeping the tradition of
working in the family business alive. He
said he is learning a lot from working with his dad on different projects and
was proud his father got to speak to his older classmates at the event.
Overall the eighth grade
class felt very inspired by their experiences at the first Western Wayne Middle
School Entrepreneurship Day.
“I got out of the
presentations that the owners really love their jobs,” eighth grader Isabella
O’Donnell said. “I learned how important
it is to find something that you really love, because then you’ll be really
happy to go to work each day.”
Junior Trina Barcarola is the 2019 State Champ in the Pole Vault (clearing 12’6), and the 100 Hurdles. She finished 8th place in the 400 Hurdles and was part of the girls 4 x 400 Relay Team,
Pictured L to R:Dr. Matthew Barrett, Superintendent, Paul Gregorski, High School Principal, Vaeda Pontosky, Robert Carey, and Bob Black, Athletic Director
Senior’s Vaeda Potosky and Robert Carey were honored on May 29, 2019 at the annual LIAA Scholar Athlete Breakfast, held at Genetti’s in Dickson City,
Vaeda Pontosky, is the daughter of Richard and Marnie Pontosky and resides in Lake Ariel. She has played soccer and softball for 4 years and has been a basketball cheerleader for 1 year. In soccer, she was a captain. She received the Hustle Award and was named an LIAA First Team All-Star in Soccer. Vaeda is a member of the National Honor Society,Girls Lead, the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences, Technology Student Association,and Student Council. She serves om the Wayne County Children and Youth Advisory Committee. She volunteers for the Steamtown Marathon, Santa’s Workshop, and assists elementary students in conducting science experiments. Vaeda has earned a Geisinger Commonwealth School ofMedicine Research Fellowship and has participated in the Pennsylvania State Police Camp Cadet. She will attend DeSales University in the fall where she will begin Medical Studies.
Robert Carey, son of Eugene and Christine Carey and resides in Moscow. He has earned 10 varsity letters; 4 in baseball, 3 in golf, and 3 in basketball. He has served as one of his baseball team’s captains. Robert is a member of the National Honor Society, TSA, and Student Council. He will attend West Virginia University in the fall where he will major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Natural Gas.
The Western
Wayne School District is very proud of two of its 2015 alumni who soon will
serve our country in the military.
Timothy Shaffer has
been attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida
and participating in Air Force ROTC Detachment 157 for the last four years.
He recently graduated as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air
Force with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics. He earned a pilot
slot in his junior year and will be stationed at Columbus Air Force Base,
Mississippi, next year to begin pilot training. Upon graduation of pilot
training, he intends to fly an F-35.
His former classmate Kyle Coons attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for 4 years,
graduating as a Second Lieutenant in the Army with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
History. While at VMI, he marched in President Trump’s Inauguration Parade in
Washington, DC along with the Governor of Virginia’s inaugural parade in
Richmond, VA. He presented the colors at Martinsville Speedway for a NASCAR
race and was part of a committee within the corps of cadets named the RDC, this
group helps freshmen get accustomed to the VMI system. He will be first stationed at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma for training. His first duty station will be Fort Drum, New York.
Pictured is 2015 Western Wayne alumni Timothy Shaffer, who recently graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics.
Both recent graduates
credit their time at Western Wayne as one of the reasons they found success in
their four years at their respective institutions.
“All of my
teachers were great at Western Wayne,” Tim said. “The math and science departments in the high
school especially prepared me for school. I have done really well in math and
science in college.”
Kyle agrees that his
time at Western Wayne helped to prepare him for his time at VMI.
“I learned
leadership skills from serving as the captain of both the football team and
volleyball team,” Kyle explained. “Also,
my AP classes taught me good study habits.”
Tim and Kyle had
different collegiate experiences but each have the same end result of being
prepared and ready to enter the military in their respective branches.
Tim’s experience
at Embry-Riddle allowed him to have a normal university experience of attending
his classes and being involved in other on-campus school activities along with
his military training three days a week. He explained how it was a very equal
blend.
Kyle’s experience
was different in the respect that his college experience was immersed in
military training every day in various ways.
He explained how the students dressed in military attire at all times
while on campus along with training each day and going to their college
classes.
Pictured is 2015 Western Wayne alumni Kyle Coons, who recently graduated from the Virginia Military Institute as a Second Lieutenant in the Army with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.
These two, very
accomplished, Western Wayne alumni have a great mutual respect for one another
and are proud of each other’s college achievements. They explained how they chose to pursue
becoming service men through different avenues but that they both learned so
much already and feel prepared to continue their military training.
Tim feels excited
to start his journey at Columbus Air Force Base this spring.
“I am really proud
to be able to do what I’m doing,” Tim said.
“I know a lot of other people would want to be doing it.”
He is eager to
learn more about aviation and explained that the feeling he gets on a flight is
incredibly exciting.
“I remember one
solo flight I did in college that was special,” Tim explained. “It was right before the sun came up. I was flying from Daytona Beach south past
Kennedy Space Center.”
In addition, Tim
feels very excited to be able to use the skills he learned in college when he
starts his pilot training for the Air Force.
“I have always had
a love for aviation that I couldn’t explain,” Tim said. “I have also always been fascinated, from
when I was younger, with American history and events such as Pearl Harbor.”
Kyle also is eager
to begin his field artillery training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His first duty station will be in Fort Drum,
New York. He feels he has learned a lot
about leadership from his time at VMI that he will use in the future.
“VMI taught me
that good leaders are confident with their decisions,” Kyle explained. “I have also learned to lead by example.”
Western Wayne,
faculty, administration, and staff wish Tim and Kyle the best with their future
endeavors along with thanking them for serving our country.
ALL NEWS
Band Performs at GDS Fair and Meets Kurt AaronAugust 29, 2024Kurt Aaron and Michael Olivo
Band and Color Guard perform at the GDS Fair.
The annual Western Wayne Marching Band and Color Guard performance at the GDS Fair was especially eventful this year because on the day of their performance Wednesday, August 28, WNEP’s Kurt Aaron and his infamous dog Ranger were also there doing live spots. Aaron briefly interviewed Western Wayne band member Michael Olivo, a senior. Michael proudly told the viewing audience about Western Wayne’s upcoming performance at the fair.
“It was really exciting to get to promote our band to a TV audience,” Michael said.
The students were thrilled to perform their 2024-25 Boy Bands themed field show for the audience along with playing some fan favorite stand tunes.
Drum majors this year are seniors Lia Hartman and Kalob Franko. This is Lia’s second season as drum major.
“We are all so grateful to be able to perform for the local community who is so supportive of us,” Lia said.
The Western Wayne Band is under the direction of Mrs. Elaine Ort who is now in her 11th season with the district.
The entire Western Wayne Band and Color Guard invite the local community to attend the first home game of the season for varsity football against Lackawanna Trail on Friday, August, 30, at the Sharkey-Rosetti stadium. Western Wayne will have the pregame show starting at about 6:45 p.m.; kick-off is at 7 p.m. [...]
Western Wayne to Host Annual Car Show Saturday, Sept. 7—NEW RAIN DATE! August 27, 2024The Western Wayne Hot Rod Club and Drama Club will host their 2024 Annual Car Show on Saturday, September 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the high school parking lot, 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA, near the football stadium. Please note our NEW RAIN DATE is Sunday, September 15.Food to be sold at the concession stand. Registration fee is $10. Spectators are free. The Hot Rod Club will give prizes for best car, truck, tractor, motorcycle, and best in show.In addition, the Drama group will sell a variety of concessions. There will also be a raffle of baskets and gift certificates generously donated by businesses and families in the local community.Drama Club student Robert Scramuzza is excited to partner with the Hot Rod Club for the for the Car Show. He explained how the Drama Club students will be dressed in 50s attire for the event.“We wanted our presence at the event to go along with the variety of cars from the past that surely will be there,” Bobby said. “We hope that the public comes out to enjoy the cars and to have some good food and purchase some chances to win baskets and gift certificates.”Members of the Drama Parents Club are working to obtain a variety of items for the raffle at the Car Show from many very generous businesses and families in our Wildcat community. The students involved in the Hot Rod Club and Drama Club can use the funds raised from this event for their club activities.The Hot Rod Club meets on a regular basis to work on a variety of automotive projects after school and can use the funds for their projects among other activities.The Drama Club meets on a regular basis after school to work on a variety of projects and activities.“Drama Club gives students a place where they can express themselves,” club president Lillian Maros explained. “We are like one big family in our club and really enjoy coming together to work as a team on events such as the Car Show.”All of the members of the Hot Rod Club, Drama Club, and Drama Parents Club cordially invite the public to attend this fun-filled event on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the High School parking lot near the stadium. Come out and see some great vehicles, take some chances on our basket raffle, enjoy some food, and enjoy some time socializing. Rain date is Sunday, September 15. [...]
Freshman Orientation – Save the Date!August 8, 2024August 22, 2024 – 6:00-7:30pm – Veterans Memorial Auditorium, WWHS
Western Wayne High School welcomes the Class of 2028!
Information on the high school/ 9th Grade Transition
High School Survival Guide
Student’s class schedule
Tours
Refreshments [...]
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.