Western Wayne High School Students attended the Wayne
County Collaborative Transition Expo. held on Oct. 22 at Ladore Lodge in
Waymart. At the event, they learned
about college and career opportunities.
The event is designed to assist transitioning students with disabilities
and their families.
Senior
Rebeccah King enjoyed the knowledge she gained from the event.
“Representatives
from different schools help you with your questions about college,” King, who
aspires to study welding after graduation, explained. “They offered scholarship help, and I also
learned about opportunities for employment available to me now. I learned that Woodloch Pines is hiring.”
Rebeccah’s
classmate Becca Boots also thought she gained some valuable insights from the
expo.
“I am
very interested in culinary studies in college,” Becca explained. “I spoke to someone representing Lackawanna
College’s culinary program, and I learned that they have a separate building on
campus for that major. That made me even
more interested in attending that school.”
All of
the students who attended the transition expo. were happy to gain more
knowledge about fields they can pursue after their time in high school.
Pictured
are some of the Western Wayne High School students who recently attended the
Wayne County Collaborative Transition Expo. held on Oct. 22 at Ladore Lodge in
Waymart. Front row, from left: Jamie Newman, Mya Lukas, Amy Newman, Caleb
Burns, Jordan Diaz, Braydon Christian, and Rebecca Weist. Back row, from left: Jack Klikus, Caleb Swingle, Becca Boots, and
Rebeccah King.
Lieutenant
Junior Grade Garret Enslin, who graduated from Western Wayne in 2012, has gone
on to achieve many outstanding accomplishments in the United States Navy.
Enslin graduated from
the United States Naval Academy in 2016.
He earned a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduation, Enslin
was stationed on a ship in Everett, Washington, for about two and a half
years. He worked as a gunnery ordnance
officer where he led twenty sailors in maintenance work. This type of work included working with the
guns on the ship, logistics projects, management of the ammunition itself,
getting missiles on board, coordinating teams, etc.
Once his first tour was completed,
Enslin received a Navy Achievement Medal for his work as Gunnery and Ordnance
Officer onboard the U.S.S. Momsen.
Enslin went on to Nuclear Power School,
a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina, to
train enlisted sailors, officers, KAPL civilians and Bettis civilians for
shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of surface ships and
submarines in the U.S. nuclear navy.
There he learned theory about how nuclear reactors work among many other
aspects of this field. He graduated
second in his class from Nuclear Power School. Then Enslin applied the theory
he learned at Nuclear Power School in prototype school, which is a Nuclear
Power Training Unit.
Enslin explained that at the training
unit there are essentially two nuclear power submarines that were
decommissioned from naval service and refitted for the specific purpose of
training nuclear operators now. Enslin
graduated first in his class from prototype.
He discussed how his training was a progression because first
he learned the theory in Nuclear Power School, then he applied that theory in
his prototype training, and now he will begin applying all of this acquired
knowledge from school and training on a ship that has two actual nuclear
reactors, the U.S.S. Nimitz.
Enslin started on the Nimitz on November 4. He is a surface warfare officer
(nuclear). He will spend 28 months there running and
overseeing operations and working to lead about forty sailors.
Enslin explained why he chose this path in his military
career.
“I love the technical aspect of it,” Enslin said. “I was able to get a lot of in-depth
technical training, and this has allowed me to be really able to think about
problems. This path has given me the
chance to lead others very early on in my career. It is a great opportunity.”
In addition, Enslin also fondly reflected on his days at
Western Wayne. He recalled enjoying his
time on the wrestling team. He was a
part of the team from his time in middle school through his four years of high
school.
Another highlight from Enslin’s time in high school was the
leadership qualities he learned as a member of the Future Business Leaders of
America club that was led by advisor Fran Vitosky at the time Enslin was a
member.
“My time in FBLA in which I learned how to speak well in
front of others has most directly translated to some of the success I have
had,” Enslin explained. “Speaking well
to another person when you meet that person for the first time is very
important. First impressions are very
important in life and in the military.”
Enslin also has some words of wisdom for Western Wayne
students who will soon be entering the real world upon their graduation this
coming year.
“It is very important to be humble,” Enslin said. “Being able to admit that you are wrong and
to seek help even if you don’t want to is a very important part of succeeding.”
Enslin discussed how he, at a young age, after graduating the
Navy Academy, had to oversee some people who were much older than him. He explained that he learned a lot about
critical thinking and humility from that experience.
The second piece of advice he gives Western Wayne High School seniors involves resilience.
“It is important to be resilient and come back from failure,”
Enslin said. “You need to reflect
honestly about why a failure occurs, so you can learn from that mistake.”
Enslin is excited for his experience on the Nimitz, and says
that after this tour he plans to look for work outside of the Navy. He thinks his experience on this ship will be
a good transition to him working in the future in civilian engineering.
Western Wayne administration, faculty, and staff are very
proud of Enslin’s many great accomplishments and wish him the very best in all
of his future endeavors.
Family,
Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) from Western
Wayne High School learned leadership skills, organizational skills and
project ideas while attending the FCCLA Regional Leadership Meeting on October 25th at Reading Area Community
College.
Members
attended workshops on Leadership, Statewide Initiatives, Publicizing your Chapter,
Safety, Family Consumer Sciences related topics, and State Officer Candidacy. During the meeting, local chapter members also
learned about the PA FCCLA outreach project and the membership campaign.
Western
Wayne members expressed enthusiasm toward returning to their chapter with great
ideas and lots of motivation for a successful year.
WW
Freshman, Ashley Small learned about FCCLA
programs and competitions and stated “The workshop taught me about a useful
planning process that will help me organize community events and achieve my
future career plans.”
WW Sophomore Katarina Wood explained “I attended an FCCLA work
session that gave me key strategies to balance my extracurricular and academic skills.”
Sinclaire Ogof, a WW Senior and Vice President of Membership,
reported that “Twenty seven students attended the FCCLA Regional Leadership
Meeting and our Western Wayne Chapter’s membership has tripled this year,
totaling 52 students!”
Family, Career, and Community
Leaders of America is a dynamic and effective national student organization
that helps young men and women become leaders and addresses important personal,
family, work, and societal issues through Family & Consumer Sciences Education
and Related Occupations.
FCCLA
is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by
members. It is the only national
in-school organization with the family as its central focus. Participation in national programs and
chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families,
careers, and communities.
The Western Wayne Marching Band visited local nursing
homes on Wednesday, Oct. 30. They spread
some cheer for the fall season while playing music and wearing costumes at
Ellen Memorial, Wayne Woodlands, and Julia Ribaudo nursing homes. The band is under the direction of Mrs.
Elaine Ort.
First quarter Western Wayne eighth grade family & consumer science students, after studying different cultures in their social studies class, voted to represent Mayan culture in a Cake-Off Competition held in late October. The Cake-Off Competition was made up of nine teams, competing against each other to be the ultimate Cake-Off winner. Mrs. Dawn Krautter is the Western Wayne Middle School family & consumer sciences teacher.
Pictured are the eighth grade winners of the Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Cianna Tyler, Tyler Gottshall, Michaela Birnkrant, Emily Dickson, and Stephanie Soom.
Krautter explained that
each team created a cake that represented Mayan culture, civilization, or
contributions. In addition, the teams wrote
a descriptive paragraph explaining their representation. Cakes were judged on
eye appeal, creativity, accuracy of facts, descriptive paragraph writing, and
overall presentation.
The third place cake winner with a total of 216 points was made by Justin Eldred, Leah Fedorchak, Cayden Rose, Isis Christian, and Karina Booths. The second place cake winner with a total of 217 points was made by Taylor Maiocco, Laila Filkovsky, Eddie Belavitz, William Parry, Darrell Schramm and Adrianna Scarpati. Finally, the first place champions with a total of 229 points for their cake included Stephanie Soom, Michaela Birnkrant, Emily Dickson, Tyler Gottshall, and Cianna Tyler.
The third place cake
winners explained that astrology played a key role in the design of their cake
that has purple and blue icing and looks like the night sky in a galaxy.
“The Mayans enjoyed
studying astrology, so we decided to make that part of our cake design,” eighth
grader Karina Booths explained.
Fellow group member Isis
Christian discussed the challenges the group faced that later paid off in their
third place win.
“Leveling the cake was challenging,” Isis explained. “We also had to learn how to be cooperative with each other and be able to work with the supplies we had to make the cake.”
Pictured are the second place winners of the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Eddie Belavitz, Taylor Maiocco, Darrell Schramm, Adrianna Scarpati, Laila Filkovsky, and William Parry.Pictured are the third place winners of the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Cayden Rose, Isis Christian, Justin Eldred, Leah Fedorchak, and Karina Booths.
The second place cake
winners agree that they learned a lot about working together from their
experience in the Cake-Off Competition.
“In order to get
everything done in time, we had to learn how to do separate jobs within the
group at the same time,” eighth grader Taylor Maiocco explained.
This second place group
worked together to create a cake that looked like a temple where Mayans would
worship the Gods and bring food and other sacrifices to it to please them.
The winning Cake-Off
Competition group included a variety of different aspects of the Mayan culture
into their cake design. They had a small
temple on it made of Rice Krispie treats, a river on it with Goldfish crackers
in it to represent how the Mayans got some of their foods, and the sides of the
cake were a grayish blue color to represent the Mayan’s love of astrology.
“We wanted to
incorporate as much as we could about the Mayan lifestyle in our cake design,”
eighth grader Michaela Birnkrant explained.
All of the eighth grade students
involved in the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition were excited
to take on this challenge and display their work for the school community. Western Wayne Middle School administration,
faculty, and staff are proud of the accomplishments of these students.
From left are some of the students who have qualified for District Chorus: Alex Taylor, Rhonda Fenkner, Lily Visceglia, Joanna Regalbuto, and Trinity Williams.
Western Wayne High School will send seven of their high school chorus students to the PMEA District 9 Chorus Festival to be held from January 15 through January 17 at Marywood University. The following Western Wayne students have all been accepted to District Chorus as either qualified or as an alternate. The students pre- auditioned to qualify for districts at Tunkhannock Area High School in October. These students include: Alexandra Solimine, 1st place, alto 2; Joanna Regalbuto, 2nd place, soprano 2; Dakota Beavers, 7th place, tenor 2; Trinity Williams, 14th place, alto 2; Brad Wood, 16th place, tenor 2; Alex Taylor, 16th place, bass 1; Rhonda Fenkner, 19th place, soprano 1; John Nichols , 22nd , 1st alternate; and Lily Visceglia, 23rd , 2nd alternate.
All
of the students involved are excited to represent Western Wayne at District
Chorus in January. The students will get
their audition music sometime in November.
Western Wayne junior Rhonda Fenkner explained that the students will
have at least seven songs to prepare.
“It
is exciting and stressful at the same time,” Rhonda explained. “Last year we had both a South African and
Korean piece to prepare for the audition.
Those pieces, of course, are more challenging because, along with
learning notes and lyrics, you also have to learn all of the correct
pronunciations.”
Western Wayne Administration, faculty, and staff all wish these students
the best at the District Chorus Festival in January.
Western Wayne High School students perform the “double hand turn” which they learned in Spanish dance class this fall from local dance instructor Mr. Vince Brust. Left to right: Kristin Hauenstein, Elizabeth Wasylyk, Kailey Tickner, and Alyson Buchinski.
From left: Julia Phillips and Ashley Small Bermudez practice their Spanish dance steps at Western Wayne High School.
From left: Julia Phillips, Ashley Small Bermudez, and Cassia Sheehan learn Spanish dancing at Western Wayne High School.
Freshmen Nate Irvine and Jaden Gregory practice the steps they have learned in their Spanish dancing class at Western Wayne High School.
From left: Samantha Scaduto, Alyssa Iovacchini, Kendra Oliver, and Nick Gombita learn Spanish dancing at Western Wayne High School.
Learning
rhythms, beats, steps, and choreography isn’t just work for the Rockettes and
Broadway stars, Western Wayne High School foreign language students have a
yearly tradition of learning Spanish dancing as a part of their curriculum each
fall.
Local dance instructor and studio
owner Vince Brust works with the Western Wayne students to teach a variety of
traditional Spanish dances such as tango, merengue, mambo, and salsa among others.
The students have a few weeks of
sessions with Mr. Brust in the fall
leading up to a performance for the community in early November.
Some of the students in the classes
with Brust have been working with him for four years. Seniors Nicholas Gombita, Kendra Oliver,
Samantha Scaduto, and Alyssa Iovacchini feel very excited to be working again
on their dancing skills this school year.
“The experience helps to immerse us in
both the culture of Spanish and dance,” Nick explained. “I have been learning
more this year about how to count different music when I dance. Some dances are counted in threes and others
in fours. Each dance is different.”
Another experienced dancer Kendra, who
helped to choreograph one of the dances performed for the community last year
in the annual Spanish dance performance, said she loves going to the classes
each year to learn more and more.
“The salsa and cha-cha are my
favorites,” Kendra said. “The steps are
faster and more challenging than some of the other dances.”
Students of all ability and experience
levels take Spanish dancing as a part of their Western Wayne foreign language
curriculum.
Two freshmen Jaden Gregory and Nate
Irvine have been enjoying learning this type of dance for the first time.
“It was hard at first to get
accustomed to dancing with each other,” Nate said. “But it got easier the more we learned.”
“My favorite part are the cross-body
leads,” Jaden explained. “They are a
very smooth part of the dances.”
Jaden’s classmates freshmen Julia
Phillips, Cassia Sheehan, and Ashley Small-Bermudez also have been enjoying
their first experience in Spanish dance with Mr. Brust.
All of the girls have a lot of fun
learning new steps each day. Julia likes
the spins and turning in dance. Cassia
thinks the cross-body leads are the most fun steps, and Ashley likes the
expression she gets to put into the hairbrush step.
“This connects really well with what
we are learning in the classroom,” Cassia explained. “It gives us a taste of what real Spanish
culture is like.”
Western Wayne High School students
in grade 9 experienced the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Program on Tuesday, October
22. This program is an interactive, hands-on presentation with a take home
energy efficiency kit for each participating student and teacher. The program
teaches the importance of energy, natural resources and environmental
resources, and gives each participating student’s family energy-efficient
technologies to install at home. Students and staff in the high school received
innovation kits on October 22. The kits included four LED light bulbs, a
water conserving shower head as well an advanced smart energy power
strip. Overall, 225 innovation kits were distributed. This comes to
4,632 new LED bulbs distributed to the Western Wayne School District since the
program’s launch in 2015. This program will also result in a number of
mini-grants for the teachers in the high school as well. The Think Energy
Innovation Program has been brought to the schools by the National Energy
Foundation, PPL Electric Utilities, and the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. For more information or questions, please contact National
Energy Foundation at 1-855-494-2942 or email stephanie.dorman@nef1.org.
From left: Dr. Mark
Nebzydoski, science teacher; Eugene Shultz and Robert Penkala, presenters; and
Paul Gregorski, principal.
ALL NEWS
Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Graduation – May 1, 2026May 1, 2026Congratulations go out to Donovan Gregorski and Emaan Tanveer on their recent Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Graduation!
Leadership Lackawanna’s seven-month Tomorrow’s Leaders Today program develops the leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills of high school juniors and provides real-world experiences in the areas of health care, STEAM, history and heritage, crime and corrections, financial literacy, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, and community service. Each year, a class of approximately 70 students, representing various geographic areas and schools, is selected to participate. The program begins in October and concludes with a graduation ceremony in May. Sessions are held one full weekday each month from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Upon completion of the TLT program, participants will have the necessary skills to become concerned and committed citizens who participate and invest in our community. Tomorrow’s Leaders Today turns aspiring teens into future adult leaders. [...]
Junior Information Night – May 13th – 6:00 PMApril 30, 2026On Wednesday, May 13th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. the Guidance Department will be conducting JuniorInformation Night in the LGI. The purpose of this evening is to inform parents/guardians about:selecting a college/trade school/training program, college cost, the college admissions process,registration and deadlines for the SAT/ACT, general financial aid information, Maia, SmartFutures,military and job opportunities and other important information.
https://ww3.westernwayne.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Junior-Information-Night-letter-to-parents-2026-1.pdf [...]
Student Council Attend Pennsylvania Association of Student Council Regional ConferenceApril 23, 2026Members of Western Wayne High School Student Council attended the Pennsylvania Association of Student Council Region H’s Annual Conference on Friday, April 17, hosted by Wyoming Valley West. There were hundreds of middle and high school students from area schools in the region in attendance.
Mr. Mason Wooldridge gave a presentation. Wooldridge encouraged students to remember that “things don’t happen to you; they happen for you” and encouraged them to take on challenges in life and know that everything is an opportunity for learning and growth.
In addition, Pennsylvania State Representative Mr. Alec Ryncavage, who represents the 119th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving parts of Luzerne County, also gave a presentation. He was a WVW graduate who spoke about feeling called to public service at a young age and the responsibility he holds for representing 65k residents and encouraged students to follow their calling.
Another part of the experience involved students attending three different workshops of their choice. The workshops all focused on student leadership, teamwork, mental health, fundraising, and making connections with a fun twist. For example, they were able to make slime, friendship bracelets, and participate in breakout rooms.
Finally, there was a College/Vendor Fair that had 44 tables at the event.
Front row, from left: Evan Davitt, Ava Fiorella, Layla Persaud, Leah Reeger, Raelyn Simpson, and Meghan Rath. Back row, from left: Haley McGuire, Lillian Gilchrist, Olivia McGlone, Jailah McRae, Mackenzie Wehrmann, and Alexis Gill. [...]
High School March Students of the MonthApril 23, 2026The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for March. Their teachers and administrators weighed in on the decisions. All of the students chosen hold a high standard of academic and personal excellence. They are true examples of the P.R.I.D.E. standards for PBIS at our school.
First, is our selected freshman Xavier James. He’s a hard worker who actively participates in class and is extremely polite and respectful. He always strives to push himself to be his best. He is described as respectful, polite, hardworking, and all-around great young man, strong athlete with a commitment to his academics, kind, gets along well with both classmates and teachers, and diligent. It is also noted that he works hard to stay on top of his sports and classes.
Next, Leah Reeger is our chosen sophomore this month. She always participates during class, does her own work, and wants to learn. She is described as polite, hardworking, dependable, a stand-out amongst her peers, helps others, kind, a role model, and has integrity. In addition, it is noted that she is creative, insightful, dedicated, mature, hard-working, and courteous.
In addition, Makenzie Chearney is this month’s featured junior. She is noted as hard-working, completes all assignments on time, helps her peers, intelligent, friendly, determined and caring.
Finally, Katarina Shumski is our senior spotlight this month. Katarina’s teachers say she quietly goes about her business and is impeccable with her organization, school work, and time management. In addition, they note she is hard-working, dependable, considerate, reliable, and dependable because she is always on task.
The Western Wayne School District congratulates these March students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.
From left: Katarina Shumski, Leah Reeger, Makenzie Chearney, and Xavier James. [...]
FBLA Students Shine at PA State Leadership Conference in HersheyApril 23, 2026HERSHEY, PA — Students from Western Wayne High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter demonstrated outstanding achievement, leadership, and professionalism at the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference held this week in Hershey.
Throughout the multi-day conference, students participated in a wide range of enriching experiences designed to build career readiness and leadership skills. Attendees engaged in competitive events, attended dynamic leadership workshops, explored career pathways at the expo, and collaborated with peers from across the state. These sessions provided students with opportunities to strengthen their communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, hallmarks of FBLA’s mission to prepare students for success in business and beyond.
Western Wayne proudly celebrates Grady Farley, who earned an impressive 4th-place finish in the event of Agribusiness, qualifying him for the FBLA National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in June. This exceptional accomplishment reflects his dedication and expertise.
The chapter also congratulates Kaelyn Chearney for her 10th-place finish in Introduction to FBLA, showcasing her strong foundational knowledge and competitive spirit.
In the Business Ethics event, the team of Khloe Mistishin, Maggie Kotchessa, and Grace Moser advanced to the final round, demonstrating excellence in ethical reasoning, teamwork, and presentation skills at a highly competitive level.
Western Wayne FBLA members competed across a wide range of events, including:
Abigail Bell – Member at Large/Voting Delegate
Eli Bilski – Human Resource Management
Paul Borowski – Banking and Financial Systems
Julia Burry – Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Robert Carrelle – Banking and Financial Systems
Kaelyn Chearney – Introduction to FBLA
Makenzie Chearney – Journalism
Roxanne Dugan – Healthcare Administration
Paityn Duprey – Business Communication
Grady Farley – Agribusiness
Madison Forgione – Future Business Educator
Raegan Fox – Member at Large/Voting Delegate
Lillian Gilchrist – Introduction to Supply Chain Management
Charlianne Hachikian – Business Law
Justin Jimenez – Real Estate
Madison Kizer – Advertising
Kaitlyn Kloss – Introduction to FBLA
Maggie Kotchessa – Business Ethics
Raeleigh Kromko- Computer Applications
Kelsey Lokuta – Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Aiden Matthews – Banking and Financial Systems
Kyle Matthews – Introduction to Information Technology
Madelyn McClure – Organizational Leadership
Khloe Mistishin – Business Ethics
Grace Moser – Business Ethics
Madison Trapanese – Hospitality and Event Management
Graysen Valinski – Networking Infrastructure
Avery Vinton – Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
Bryn Vinton – Business Communication
Madelyn Vinton – Computer Applications
Annie Williams – Job Interview
In addition to competitive success, several students were recognized for their leadership contributions at the regional level. Madelyn McClure was honored for her service as the 2025–2026 Region 22 Treasurer and was officially welcomed into her new role as the 2026–2027 Region 22 President, a testament to her leadership and commitment to FBLA.
The chapter also recognizes Raegan Fox and Abigail Bell, who served as Members-at-Large and voting delegates, representing Western Wayne in important conference decisions and leadership proceedings.
The State Leadership Conference is an incredible opportunity for our students to grow as leaders, connect with peers, and apply their skills in real-world scenarios. As their adviser, I am extremely proud of their hard work, accomplishments, and the way they represented Western Wayne. Students were also accompanied by Mrs. Megan Rush and Mr. Tim McClure, who are themselves WW FBLA Alumni.
The Western Wayne FBLA chapter looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence and wishes Grady Farley the best of luck as he prepares to compete on the national stage this summer.
Picture one, front row, from left: Lillian Gilchrist, Madison Kizer, Kaelyn Chearney, Madison Trapanese, Khloe Mistishin, Grace Moser, and Maggie Kotchessa. Second row, from left: Madison Forgione, Madelyn McClure, Makenzie Chearney, Bryn Vinton, Annie Williams, Paityn Duprey, Madelyn Vinton, Julia Burry, Kaitlyn Kloss, and Avery Vinton. Third row, from left: Raegan Fox, Grady Farley, Abigail Bell, Eli Bilski, Kyle Matthews, Paul Borowski, Graysen Valinski, Robbie Carrelle, and Aiden Matthews.
Picture two, from left: Kaelyn Chearney, 10th-place finish in Introduction to FBLA; and Grady Farley, 4th-place finish in the event of Agribusiness. [...]
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.
