Around the Schools

Western Wayne Drama Club Students Promote Show on WVIA

Western Wayne Drama Club members recently recorded a podcast at WVIA studios discussing their upcoming production Nice Work If You Can Get It. Podcast is available at the following link http://www.wvia.org/education/high-school-musical-preview/

RJ Clemens who plays Jimmy Winter; Ty Alpaugh who plays Billie Bendix; and John Kear who plays Cookie McGee; are featured in the podcast.

The Western Wayne Drama Club will present the musical comedy Nice Work If You Can Get It that is set in the 1920s and features music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Book is by Joe DiPietro. The show is inspired by material by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse.

Performances by Western Wayne students will take place Friday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. in the newly renovated Western Wayne Veterans Memorial Auditorium located at 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA 18436.   Students and senior citizens $3 dollars for tickets and adults $5 for tickets. Western Wayne students are admitted free with a student ID.

From left: Martin Spewak who plays Chief Berry; Rhonda Fenkner who plays Jeannie Muldoon; Honour Shaffer who plays Duke Mahoney; Alpaugh; and Kear.

Wildcat World – WVIA Visual Artist of the Year

 

Western Wayne Artist Desiree Counterman Named WVIA Visual Artist of the Year
By Jessica McLaughlin

The phrase “Take Chances” appears on the t-shirt of a person from a portrait that Western Wayne senior art student Desiree Counterman submitted as one of many pieces to be judged in WVIA’s Visual Artist of the Year Contest.  It seems the chance Desiree took on working to develop her craft as an artist in middle school paid off in a big way on Friday, April 13, at Mainstreet Galleries in Kingston where she was awarded the top honor of WVIA’s 2018 Visual Artist of the Year.

She competed among 40 other districts in Northeastern and Central PA.  Desiree’s journey to achieving this high honor began in the beginning of January when she was named WVIA’s Visual Artist of the Week.  From there, Desiree was chosen as one of eleven students up for the Visual Artist of the Year Award.

The artwork of these talented young artists was on display at Mainstreet Galleries in Kingston where a panel of local artists judged their work for this contest.  The judging panel for visual art consisted of Earl Lehman, professional and resident artist;  Diane Czajkowski, equine artist; David Raynock, photographer and videographer at WVIA; and Nichole Josefowicz, commissioned artist and  strategic partnership mgr. for the Taylor Corporation.

This talented group of professional visual artists named Desiree Artist of the Year.  The last Western Wayne student to win this honor was Westen Johnson in 2015.  Desiree described what she felt like at the event where she received her award.

“I knew there were a lot of really good artists there,” she said.  “I saw many really good pieces, so I felt a lot of suspense leading up to when my name was announced last for Visual Artist of the Year.”

Desiree explained how she started art as a hobby in middle school and never expected to develop her craft as much as she has especially in her high school years.

Desiree’s high school art teacher Mr. Justin Hayden explains what makes her stand out as an artist.

“Her work in creating her portrait pieces is exceptional because of the way she captures emotions,” Hayden explained.  “She uses water color in a life-like way and captures a youthful beauty in portraits.  She has developed skills in the proportions she uses.  It isn’t easy to use the amount of precision needed to render life-like portraits like she does.”

Desiree, who will attend Empire Beauty School in the fall, will have her portrait collection on display at Western Wayne’s Annual Art Show on Saturday, May 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the high school gym.  The event is free admission and will feature an Asian theme this year.  The Art Show is followed by another free event, the Western Wayne High School Band and Chorus Concert starting at 3 p.m. in the newly renovated Veterans Memorial Auditorium in the high school.

Desiree’s portrait collection is her senior exhibit at the art show.  All Western Wayne senior artists have a featured exhibit at the event.  Hers will be garden-themed with her portraits prominently featured.  She will display the portraits amongst a garden scene with plant life, flowers, and greenery.

Hayden is proud of Desiree’s achievements and feels excited for the public to see her artwork along with the work of his other students at the Art Show on May 12.

“It’s nice being recognized for all of the hard work she’s done over the years and for her dedication to pay off.”

TSA Scientific Visualization – First in the State!

The Western Wayne TSA Scientific Visualization team has placed first in the state. The six members want to move on and compete at the national level in Atlanta in June.

The students are:

Dalton Frisbie Journey Sosa Maya Black Rachel Butler Vaeda Pontosky  Robert Carey

Stock Market Competition – Middle School Places 2nd!!

In a letter from the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy:

On behalf of the team at the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy, it is our honor and pleasure to announce that your students have finished  second place in the local competition.

This program is brought to your area, with the generous support of Dime Bank.

We will be following up with press, prizes, and certificates.

Congratulations Mr. Lodini and Western Wayne Middle School!!!

 

Ranking Middle School – Week Ten Portfolio
1 Forest City – Lisette Kozar 104,566.36
2 Western Wayne -Thomas Lodini 103,484.07
3 Wallenpaupack  – Argyro Paspalas 102,426.45

Scholastic Superstar: Tylea ‘Ty’ Alpaugh

When a classmate needed help to achieve the SAT score needed to attend her dream college, Tylea “Ty” Alpaugh stepped in.

The senior at Western Wayne studied with her tennis teammate for eight months, resulting in her peer gaining acceptance into the college.

Ty continues to volunteer as an SAT tutor, works as the head artist at a charity that has sent more than 8,000 soccer balls to Haitian orphans and volunteers for her local library’s summer reading programs.

The daughter of Amy and Cole Alpaugh, she is the first National Merit Finalist in the high school’s history, an accomplishment she is most proud of. Ty also takes a rigorous amount of advanced placement courses at Western Wayne.

However, it’s her contributions to art and music she’s found most rewarding; Ty played the leading role in the school’s last two musicals.

She is also a member of the marching band, serving as band historian and playing the marimba and tenor drums.

Ty was a foley artist — the person who reproduces every day sounds during performances — during the a Spotlight Players performance. The theater company is based in Wayne County.

A member of the tennis team, Ty lead the team to districts as co-captain.

She most admires bees because they are important pollinators and make delicious honey. She also admires her camp film instructor, who sparked Ty’s interest to start her on a journey into cinematography. Ty enjoys watching movies in the theaters and creating short films in her spare time.

That passion will lead her to Vassar College after graduation, where she plans to double major in drama and film. In 15 years, she sees herself living in New York City and acting on Broadway.

Ty, who collects quotes from people in her daily life, says her philosophy on life can be summed up with a Cat in the Hat quote from “Seussical the Musical:” “…Simply, things could be worse.”

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wildcat World Featured Student: Abby Gogolski

Western Wayne Administration has recognized junior Abby Gogolski as an outstanding student.  Abby completed an excellent senior project this past winter in which she raised about 3,000 dollars in her effort to provide Wayne County families with a good meal for Christmas.

Western Wayne High School students are required to complete a senior project before graduation.  These projects are many times community-service based.  Abby, who aspires one day to have a career in finance, thought she wanted to put her budgeting and marketing skills to good use to help those in need for her senior project.

She worked closely with her mother to set up her very successful project.  In mid-December, she set up a day for the community to donate food for her efforts at Ray’s Supermarket in Waymart.  She said she raised about 200 dollars at that event and collected about 40 boxes of food.

Abby also set up drop stations for the community to donate at the Waymart Lodge and the Salem Lodge. Along with these efforts to collect donations at local businesses, Abby also created a GoFundMe account to have an online effort to help provide for those in need in Wayne County.

Along with asking for help on the internet, Abby also sent out letters to people in the community both asking for donations and for suggestions of families who would benefit from her project.  In addition, Abby asked local businesses to donate.  In the end, she said she raised about 3,000 dollars in her combined efforts of asking for both monetary donations and donations of food items.  Abby used the money she raised to buy more items to donate to those in need such as turkeys for holiday meals.

Once Abby had everything collected, she went out on a weekend in December and donated the food in baskets she put together to family homes in the community.  She made all of the donations anonymously.

 

“During the holiday season in the past, I had heard people in the community saying they couldn’t afford certain things,” Abby explained.  “So I thought this would be a beneficial time to do a senior project of this nature to help people who don’t have a lot.”

Abby, an honor roll student, has always enjoyed volunteer work.  She volunteers at a local church in Hamlin in their food pantry every month and is glad she can continue her service beyond her senior project.

When Abby isn’t volunteering her time to help others, she is involved in FBLA, CATS club, Spanish club, and the tennis team.

She wishes to attend Southeastern University in Florida after graduation to pursue a degree in marketing.  She is considering a career as a financial advisor and hopes that as a part of that career she can provide some services for people who are less fortunate to help them get back on their feet.

Western Wayne High School Principal Paul Gregorski is very proud of Abby’s efforts.

“Abby is a role model to others in our school through her efforts to help those in the community,” Gregorski said.  “I look forward to seeing how she continues to make a positive impact on both the Western Wayne community and community-at-large during her senior year.”

Pictured is Western Wayne student Abby Gogolski with both letters she wrote to community members to help get donations for her senior project his past winter and letters of thanks she received after the project.  Abby worked to provide food for those in need this past holiday season.

 

Desire Counterman to be Honored by WVIA

Western Wayne’s Desire Counterman to be Honored by WVIA for the 2018 Artist Celebration on April 13

WVIA will spotlight visual student artists, including Desiree Counterman from Western Wayne High School, from throughout northeast and central Pennsylvania during the Artist Celebration on Friday, April 13, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Mainstreet Galleries in Kingston, PA. The events are free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

The celebration will showcase artwork from the top 11 visual artists from WVIA’s 2017-18 Artist of the Week program. During the events WVIA will announce the Artist of the Year for both Performing and Visual Art, as well as the People’s Choice Awards.

Desiree Counterman from Western Wayne High School has been chosen as one of  the top 11 Visual Artists of the Week whose artwork will be displayed during the Artist Celebration. WVIA’s Artist of the Week and Artist of the Year educational programs are sponsored by The Pennsylvania College of Technology. The 2017-18 Artist of the Week video features can be viewed at http://www.wvia.org/blogs/artist-week/

Desiree, a two year National Art Honor Society member, is very proud of her efforts as a visual artist at Western Wayne High School.  Currently she is working on her senior portfolio which she explains will feature a series of portraits.

“I enjoy painting,” she said.  “People are my favorite subject to paint.  I look for models for my pieces on Pinterest and sometimes I choose famous people to use.”

Drama Club to Perform Nice Work If You Can Get It April 27, 28, 29

The Western Wayne Drama Club will present the musical comedy Nice Work If You Can Get It that is set in the 1920s and features music and lyrics  by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Book is by Joe DiPietro.  The show is inspired by material by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse.

Set in the 1920s, Nice Work is the story of wealthy man-about-town Jimmy Winter, who meets female bootlegger Billie Bendix on the weekend of his wedding. Thinking Jimmy will be out of town, Billie and her gang then hides something in the basement of his Long Island mansion. But when Jimmy, his wife-to-be, and her prohibitionist family show up, Billie and her cohorts pose as servants who cause hijinks galore.  Nice Work is loosely based on the 1926 Gershwin musical Oh, Kay! and features a score of classic Gershwin songs some of which audiences will surely recognize like “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

“Originally produced on Broadway by” Scott Landis, Roger Berlind, Sonia Friedman Productions, Roy Furman, Standing CO Vation, Candy Spelling, Freddy DeMann, Ronald Frankel, Harold Newman,  Jon B. Platt, Raise the Roof 8, Takonkiet Viravan, William Berlind/ Ed Burke, Carol L. Haber/ Susan Carusi, Buddy and Barbara Freitag/ Sanford Robertson, Jim Herbert/ Under the Wire, Emanuel Azenberg, and The Shubert Organization.

Performances by Western Wayne students will take place Friday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. in the newly renovated Western Wayne Veterans Memorial Auditorium located at 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA 18436.   Students and senior citizens $3 dollars for tickets and adults $5 for tickets.  Western Wayne students are admitted free with a student ID.

Over the past two years, the Western Wayne School District has installed a new state-of-the-art light and sound system along with putting in new curtains, a stage floor, seating, and carpeting.  This past November the auditorium was publicly dedicated to all veterans who selflessly serve our country.

This school year Western Wayne formed a year-round drama club for students in grades 8 through 12 called Wildcat Curtain Call.  Students in a variety of areas of the performing arts are involved in the club and participation in the musical is not required.

“We are all so excited about the wonderful, new opportunities for performing arts students at Western Wayne,” Mrs. Jessica McLaughlin, musical director, said.  “We look forward to putting on our production of Nice Work along with putting together other drama club events.”

Front row, from left: Rhonda Fenkner, who plays Jeannie; Sam Pritzlaff, who plays the Duchess; Ty Alpaugh, who plays Billie; Calla Shaffer, who plays Eileen; and Lindsey Karwacki, who plays Millicent. Back row, from left:  John Kear, who plays Cookie; Honour Shaffer, who plays Duke; R.J. Clemens, who plays Jimmy; Jake Jones, who plays the Senator; and Marty Spewak, who plays the Chief.

Western Wayne Administration Honors Trina Barcarola

Western Wayne Administration has recognized sophomore Trina Barcarola as an outstanding student. Trina is an honor roll student who has achieved many accomplishments with Western Wayne’s track team this year. She also is a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) along with being a proud member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Wayne County.

Trina enjoys her academic studies and athletic endeavors at Western Wayne equally. One of her favorite classes is Anatomy. She has a lot of interest in studying the human body.

“I think I find enjoyment in this class because it ties in with how the body works,” Trina explained. “I can connect because I’m so involved athletically in my life.”

This year Trina did extremely well with Western Wayne’s Indoor Track Club. She qualified and participated in the state championships held at Penn State Main Campus.

She placed 12th overall in hurdles and dropped a 10th of a second in the event, therefore, beating her best time.

Also, Trina competed in the New Balance Nationals for indoor pole vaulting at the Armory in New York City. At the competition, she cleared 11 feet, 3 ½ inches.

Trina, who has participated in track at Western Wayne since she was in middle school, feels very proud of all of her accomplishments so far in this sport.

“Throughout my time in the sport, I have developed a mental stability to push myself to my limits,” she said. “I have learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because I know the harder I work the better my times will be. Every minute counts.”

Along with pushing herself out of her comfort zone in the sport, Trina, also, really enjoys helping her underclassmen teammates.

“I have learned to help underclassmen,” she explained. “I like to give them constant encouragement.”

When Trina isn’t on the track or in the classroom striving for excellence, she is working on projects for clubs like PJAS and FBLA.

This year Trina is a state qualifier for her PJAS project that centers around the concept of how fabrics affect heat absorption. She is also part of a group in FBLA who will go to the state competition for the Introduction to Business event.

Trina explains that her faith is just as important to her as all of her accomplishments. She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that is a student led program in which students discuss how their faith ties into sports.

Along with having strong feelings about her faith, Trina also has strong feelings about helping others. She currently is considering physical therapy as a possible career path.

“I want to help people rehabilitate,” Trina explained. “I have a passion for that.”

High School principal Paul Gregorski is proud of all of Trina’s accomplishments as a sophomore and looks forward to what she will achieve in her remaining years at Western Wayne.

“Trina is a role model for our students in many ways,” Gregorski explained. “She truly is making the most of her time at Western Wayne in all areas.”

From left: Ms. Jennifer Bradley, High School assistant principal; Trina Barcarola; and Mr. Paul Gregorski, High School principal.