Come dine at Western Wayne High School for a fantastic time with Annie, Daddy Warbucks, and the cast of Annie!!
Be sure to bring money for a chance to win our amazing raffle baskets!
Space is limited! Reservations encouraged by emailing wwdramaparents@gmail.com
Honesdale – The fourth week’s rankings of the Wayne and Pike County Stock Market Challenge is in with Western Wayne High School, under the leadership of Thomas Lodini, leading the way. Stephen Kim from Delaware Valley School District is leading in the Middle School Division. The best student per school wins $25 in each division with all participating schools. The schools invited to participate are Canaan Christian Academy, Carbondale Area, Delaware Valley, Forest City Regional, Wallenpaupack Area, Wayne Highlands and Western Wayne High Schools. Additionally, the top-ranking students compete for $480 in a total prize package for Wayne and Pike County with additional prizes for state winners in the division and the overall program.
The Dime Bank supports local schools in the sponsorship of the Wayne and Pike County Stock Market Challenge from the Pennsylvania Council of Financial Literacy (PennCFL). This program is co-sponsored by The Wayne Independent, Carbondale News, and The News Eagle newspapers. These students represent their schools in a special local and competitive investment competition. A celebratory luncheon will be held at the Boiler Room in Hawley, PA on May 10th to honor the schools, teachers, and their students.
PennCFL’s mission is to provide Pennsylvania’s K-12 students with economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship skills that elevate their standard of living, quality of life, and professional success. For additional information, please contact Carolyn Shirk, Vice President at carolyn.penncfl@gmail.com or call 570-975-5149.
Select Western Wayne Middle School students participated in the 2019 Middle Grades Music & Art Festival held on Friday, March 1, at the Wayne Highlands School District. Some students had art work on display and others participated by singing or playing musical instruments in a concert held that evening.
Students from a number of area schools participated. Some of the pieces performed by the band students included: music from West Side Story, “West Side Blues,” and “Jupiter”. Some of the pieces performed by the chorus included: music from The Greatest Showman, “Praise His Holy Name,” and “Stars I Shall Find.”
Many of the students from Western Wayne greatly enjoyed the experience of working with different students who share their same interest in the arts.
Eighth grader Evan Peirce, who participated with the band, said he had the most fun learning about a new instrument. Evan plays the tenor saxophone and met a student from Wallenpaupack who plays the baritone saxophone.
“I really want to play the baritone saxophone in the high school band,” Evan said. “The student I met showed me some ways to play and it was really fun.”
Evan’s fellow band classmate Ashley Small Bermudez said she also enjoyed learning from the students in her section at Middle Grades. Ashley plays the mallets.
“A lot of the kids in my section showed different techniques and were helping each other to play.”
The same musical camaraderie was a special part of the Middle Grades experience for students that participated in the chorus as well.
Eighth grader Kylie Merring, a soprano, said the most meaningful part of the experience was her interactions with other vocal performance students.
“It was great to be able to interact with other kids, to hear them sing, and to take notes off of how they do it.”
All of the Western Wayne students in attendance also thought one of the best parts of the festival was the positive and encouraging atmosphere that the directors created at the event.
“Even when we were corrected, we were still told we were doing well,” eighth grade trombone player Elizabeth Wasylyk said.
In the end, all of the students who participated in Middle Grades were thrilled with the outcome.
“At the start of our rehearsals everything wasn’t set to go, but by the time we got on stage for the show we could see a really big change,” tenor Adam Kellogg explained.
Many of the students from Western Wayne who participated at Middle Grades plan to continue their study of the arts in high school whether it be in visual art classes, chorus class, the musical theater program, or in band.
Eighth graders Jake Larsen, Evan Peirce, and Elizabeth Wasylyk think their experience at Middle Grades along with their experiences in middle school band classes are better preparing them to be a part of Western Wayne’s prestigious marching band.
“Experience at events like Middle Grades are better preparing me for upcoming performances at Friday night games,” Elizabeth explained.
Western Wayne Students Perform at Annual Dr. Seuss Night Western Wayne’s musical theater students performed for the community at the annual Dr. Seuss night event held at the R.D. Wilson School on Thursday, February 28. Students performed selections from their upcoming production of the classic musical Annie. The public can also look forward to the upcoming Annie Character Breakfast on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m. in the High School cafeteria. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids and senior citizens. In addition, you can also mark your calendar with the dates for our performances of Annie at Western Wayne High School’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and Western Wayne students are free with a student ID. From left: Lily Visceglia, who plays, Lily St. Regis; John Nichols, who plays Rooster Hannigan; Amanda David, who plays Annie; R.J. Clemens, who plays Daddy Warbucks; Honour Shaffer, who plays Bert Healy; and Sydney Peet, who plays Miss Hannigan.
National School Breakfast week is March 4 – 8, 2019. We will be celebrating with a special daily menu theme. Also, on Wednesday, March 6th, we will have a “Golden Ticket Day.” A Golden Ticket will be placed randomly in 2 grab and go bags at each school. Students that receive a golden ticket can redeem their prize during lunch.
Please encourage your student to have breakfast daily, whether it be at home or a school breakfast. When students start the day with a healthy meal, they are more likely to retain what they learn in class, behave better and experience better health outcomes. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me at mliptak@westernwayne.org
The lunch menu for the week is as follows:
“Owl Pellets” lyrics from the song by MC Paul Barman will forever be remembered by Western Wayne Science students in Dr. Mark Nebzydoski’s classes. The song goes, “Owls/ Scoop prey in their jowels/ Bones and fur stay in the gullet/ Meat goes to the bowels/ Comes out like a bullet/ After six hours.”
Nebzydoski’s students spent some time in their February lessons learning about ecology through a lab in which they had to dissect owl waste pellets to then reconstruct the animals and organisms the owls had eaten.
Students first read about different types of owls and owl pellets. Then they studied pictures of what gopher, weasel, rabbit, vole, mole, bird, and rabbit skeletons would look like when they got the bones to put them together from the owl regurgitate pellets.
Overall students enjoyed learning about ecology in this very hands-on lab despite some of the dirty work they had to do to get the animal bones.
“I feel I learn better when I am doing something instead of writing it down all the time,” freshman Joanna Regalbuto said.
Fellow classmate Gavin Henwood agrees. “A lab like this is more interesting because you can get into it easier when you are dissecting the owl pellets.”
Gavin’s lab partner Nick DeCandis said once he got over the mental struggle of thinking about what he was picking apart that he really liked the lab.
“It was like putting together a dinosaur set,” Nick explained. “I thought it was surprising that once we started pulling the bones out that we seemed to find them in the order of what the owl had eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had thought the bones would be more scattered in the pellets.”
The main challenge the students said they faced from the lab was not breaking the bones when pulling apart the pellets to find them.
“Everything was very compacted inside the pellets,” Carleigh Galliford explained. “You had to be gentle.”
Fellow student Gabby Velez explained how she took on the challenge of handling the delicate animal bones.
“We used tweezers to take the different bones out and to get the fur and other hair off of them.”
Freshman Sarah McAndrew thought the best part of the lab was learning about all of the animal bones.
“It was interesting to see what all of the different bones look like,” she said.
Nebzydoski is pleased that his students did well accepting the challenge of dissecting the not physically appealing pellets for the greater benefit of furthering their knowledge of ecology.
“I think the students appreciate getting to do hands on work that is a change of pace from some of their other studies.”
Members of the community who come out to enjoy the annual Read Across America Night at Western Wayne’s RDW Elementary School on Thursday, February 28, will surely leave smiling from ear to ear. As the character, radio announcer, Bert Healy sings in the musical Annie, “You are never fully dressed without a smile.”
Western Wayne Middle and High School musical students will perform excerpts from their upcoming spring production of Annie as a part of the entertainment at Read Across America Night. The event will kick-off at 4:45 p.m. and is free to the public. Kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of activities in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
There will also be a Book Fair at the event hosted by the PTA, and attendees can meet The Cat and Hat along with Thing One and Thing Two.
From 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. guests can tour the RDW building and stop in classrooms to hear stories read by RDW staff and friends. Starting at 5:30 through 6 p.m., there will be a concession stand open with hot dogs, drinks, and snacks for sale.
Then at 6 p.m., Annie cast members will perform. Eighth grade student Amanda David who plays the title role will sing “Tomorrow.” R.J. Clemens, who plays Daddy Warbucks will sing the ballad “Something was Missing.” Amanda and R.J. will perform the upbeat “I Don’t Need Anything But You.”
Other numbers to be sung include “Easy Street” by Lily Visceglia, who plays the flashy Lily St. Regis; Sydney Peet, who plays the notorious Miss Hannigan; and John Nichols, who plays the sly Rooster Hannigan. In addition, junior Honour Shaffer, who plays Bert Healy, will perform “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” with assistance from the lovely Boylan sisters played by Maddie Kapschull, Rhonda Fenkner, and Anya Burgerhoff.
The students are excited to entertain the audience at RDW on Thursday evening as their debut performance of portions of the show they have been working on since December.
“This is my fourth year performing at RDW for Dr. Seuss Night,” R.J. Clemens, who is the president of the Drama Club and a five-year musical cast member, said. “I love going out into the community and sharing what we have been working to create. I like seeing all of the students in attendance enjoy it.”
Fellow cast mate, sophomore Lily Visceglia, who serves as Drama Club secretary and is a three-year musical cast member, agrees that performing at RDW is an experience that she looks forward to.
“It’s fun to play different parts each year and to get to meet all of the younger students in attendance,” Lily explained. “I think that our performance at Seuss Night inspires younger students to want to join the shows in future years.”
The Western Wayne community cordially invites the public to come and enjoy Read Across America Night on Thursday, February 28, at the RDW Elementary School, a free evening of entertainment and events perfect for kids of all ages.
The public can also look forward to the upcoming Annie Character Breakfast on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m. in the High School cafeteria. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids and senior citizens.
In addition, you can also mark your calendar with the dates for our performances of Annie at Western Wayne High School’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and Western Wayne students are free with a student ID.
On Friday, February 22nd, 2019, the Pre-Kindergarteners and the second grade students celebrated National Children’s Dental Health month with a special visit from the Tooth Fairy! The students learned about the importance of brushing their teeth twice-a-day for two minutes, as well as learned about the importance of flossing their teeth, and having regular scheduled visits to the dentist. The tooth fairy showed the students some tools that the dentists use as well as talked about different foods that our healthy for our teeth. The students and teachers would like to thank Sprout Dental for presenting us with this lesson and for the goodie bags that the children received!
Wayne County Commissioners officially proclaimed FBLA-PBL Week in Wayne County the first week of February after receiving a letter from Western Wayne junior Ezra Tetreault. Ezra is the Western Wayne FBLA vice president, Region 22 president of FBLA, and he is the vice president at large for FBLA for the state of Pennsylvania.
Ezra and his FBLA advisor Theresa Lubash were invited to the Wayne County Commissioners meeting on Thursday, February 7, where the group proclaimed FBLA-PBL Week in Wayne County after reading Ezra’s letter in which he asked them to do so.
“I wrote to the commissioners because I wanted to see more awareness for FBLA in Wayne County,” Ezra explained. “This year 50 Western Wayne students will be participating in the state FBLA competition and we are all so excited to represent our district at the state level.”
Ezra explained that FBLA Week is nationally recognized the second week of February. Some activities that students participate in as a part of it are “Tell Your Story Day” in which students take to social media to discuss their involvement in FBLA, “Dress for Success Day” in which students dress professionally to go to school and also show appreciation for their FBLA advisors, “Membership Recruitment Day” in which current FBLA members try to spread the word to prospective new members, and a pride day in which students show school spirit among other activities throughout the week.
Both Ezra and Western Wayne FBLA president senior Austin Boguski were glad to participate in some of the activities for FBLA Week especially when they took time to honor their advisor Theresa Lubash.
Ezra’s mother made cookies for Lubash and both Austin and Ezra dressed up for the “Dress for Success Day” when they went to Lubash and thanked her for everything she does for Western Wayne FBLA students.
“We were both glad to be able to do something for Ms. Lubash because of all that she does for us,” Austin said.
Both Ezra and Austin explained that membership in Western Wayne FBLA is increasing this year with 116 students involved in the group this season.
“I made membership recruitment a goal for myself this year as president,” Austin, who will attend Moravian College next year, explained. “I really care about FBLA and want other kids to have the same experiences I have had through this program like getting to meet new people and possible employers.”
Austin looks forward to the state FBLA competition this April in Hershey where he will compete with a group of Western Wayne students in the Entrepreneurship event.
He feels all of his experiences with FBLA are greatly preparing him for his future career in business management. He aspires to work as a market research analyst for his uncle’s finance company in Bethlehem.
Fellow FBLA student leader Ezra also feels his many experiences with FBLA are preparing him for his future.
Ezra aspires to have a high ranking position in the military and wishes to attend West Point.
“I feel the number one thing I am getting out of FBLA is career readiness from all of the duties I have to perform from my leadership positions,” Ezra explained.
Ezra looks forward to competing in the Emerging Business Issues event at states with his partner fellow Western Wayne senior Evan Coons. The topic that they have to debate involves microchips in the business industry. They have to discuss the ethics behind employers inserting a microchip in their employees that could be used for things like building entry.
Western Wayne Administration, faculty, and staff are proud of Ezra and Austin’s accomplishments along with all of the accomplishments of the FBLA students who are participating in the program this year. They wish them the best at the upcoming state competition.
Students who place in the top four of their events at states will go on to the national competition in San Antonio, Texas, in late June.
The following chorus students participated in the 2019 PMEA District Chorus festival.
Laurel Frable
Alexandra Solimine
Rhonda Fenkner
Dakota Beavers
Kevin Franc
RJ Clemens
It was held on February 6th – 8th, with a performance on Feb. 8th at Lakeland High School.
RJ Clemens placed 3rd and has qualified to move on to the PMEA Region Chorus Festival.
The Region Chorus Festival will be held on March 20th to March 22nd.
A Concert will be performed on March 22nd at Canton Jr. Sr. High School at 7:30PM.
Students Present Aquaponics Challenge Project at Regional BanquetMay 7, 2026On May 5, 2026, students from Western Wayne High School proudly presented their student-led environmental education project at the Community Connections to Our Watershed banquet, held at Montage Mountain. Their project, an Aquaponics Challenge System, was designed, researched, and implemented entirely by the student team.Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (growing plants without soil). In this balanced system, fish waste provides essential nutrients for plant growth, while the plants naturally filter and clean the water for the fish. The Western Wayne team developed their system to demonstrate how this closed-loop approach can support both food production and water quality.As part of their project, the students raised trout from eggs to approximately three to four months old before preparing them for release into a local stream. A major focus of their work involved addressing water quality challenges, particularly nitrate buildup from fish waste. Through research and problem-solving, the team explored ways to improve natural filtration within their system, including redesigning components and upgrading equipment such as water pumps to maintain optimal conditions.The project also emphasized key components of the Aquaponics Challenge, including system design, environmental monitoring, and community outreach. Students utilized technology such as climate control tools and irrigation systems while also connecting with local organizations and professionals for support. In addition, they worked to share their knowledge beyond the classroom by engaging others in understanding sustainable practices and watershed stewardship.This presentation was the culmination of months of work as part of the Community Connections to Our Watershed program, a regional environmental initiative that has been in place for over 20 years. Each year, teams of five students and one teacher from schools across Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties participate in the program. Coordinated by the education teams at Lackawanna and Nescopeck State Parks, the program immerses students in watershed science through field experiences and collaboration with environmental professionals.Throughout the year, the Western Wayne students participated in field trips to Keystone College, Lackawanna State Park, the Old Forge borehole, the Anthracite Heritage Museum, Lacawac Sanctuary, Pennsylvania American Water treatment facilities, and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. These experiences deepened their understanding of how human activities impact local watersheds and helped inform their aquaponics system design, particularly in understanding the relationships between aquatic organisms, plants, and water quality.This year’s Community Connections to Our Watershed program included schools from across the region: Carbondale, Forest City, Lakeland, Mountain View, Old Forge, Riverside, Western Wayne, and Wayne Highlands in Lackawanna County; and Crestwood, Hanover Area, HAAS, HACC, Hazleton Area, Northwest, Tunkhannock, and Wyoming Area in Luzerne County.The program is made possible through the support of Pennsylvania American Water Company, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and the DCNRWatershed Education Program.Picture one, from left: Mark Nebzydoski Ph.D., advisor; Rhys Locklin, Noah Benson, Aidyn Graci, Aliyah Gregory, and Giana Graci.Picture two, the group from Western Wayne making their presentation, from left: Aliyah Gregory, Giana Graci, Rhys Locklin, Noah Benson, and Aidyn Graci. [...]
Science meets nature: Students release trout at Varden Conservation AreaMay 6, 2026Students in Wayne County are getting an up-close look at nature with an opportunity to study what’s right in their backyard.
https://www.wnep.com/video/news/local/wayne-county/science-meets-nature-students-release-trout-at-varden-conservation-area/523-3cf2ef49-624d-4f00-95cd-f2573064bf60 [...]
Western Wayne Hosts Prom with Support of Local BusinessesMay 6, 2026Western Wayne hosted their annual prom with “A Starry Night” theme at a new venue this year New Leaf Farm in Waymart on Saturday, May 2. The event focussed around local community businesses who hosted food trucks for the event including: Lupo Russo, 2 Ways One Passions, and Pop-Pop’s Grill and Catering. The students also enjoyed gourmet cupcakes from Ms. Michele Dugan along with cotton candy donated by Mrs. Paula Lamberton
There were 225 students and guests in attendance. Event sponsors included: Ariel View Inn (AVI), Leeward, Waymart Hotel, Iron Hill at 1940,and Meadowbrook Stables, and For the Birds, who provided flowers.
The students in attendance enjoyed this new experience. Senior Maggie Kotchessa thought this unique prom experience was a great idea.
“I really loved all of the food choices,” Maggie, who decided on a pulled pork sandwich from Pop-Pop’s, said.
Her classmate Norman Phillips’ grandfather owns Pop-Pop’s, and he was excited his family business could be a part of the event.
“It was really neat having my grandfather there doing what he loves,” Norman said. “He usually travels around to do a number of different gigs, and it was really neat having him at our prom.”
In addition to the variety of food items at the event, the students also were treated to a mocktail bar. Junior Madelyn McClure wrote a grant through the Wayne County Community Youth Advisory Committee and the district used the money to fund the mocktails for prom.
Also, the community donated a variety of gift cards for the students as prizes. Each student in attendance got a raffle ticket for a chance to win.
The 2026 Prom Court included: Vinny Baldini, King; Audrey Agnello, Queen; and
Mia Gifford, Hannah DeStefano, Olivia Haines, and Sofia Ochlan served as attendants.
The students enjoyed this unique prom experience and thank the district for their continued support of student events.
Picture one: Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal; Vinny Baldini, King; and Audrey Agnello, Queen.
Picture two:: Olivia Haines, Hannah DeStefano, Vinny Baldini, Audrey Agnello, Mia Gifford, and Sophia Ochlan. [...]
Scholarships & Career Opportunities – May EditionMay 4, 2026The May edition of Scholarships & Career Opportunities is now available. All grades should read this document to get information on college, careers, important dates, SAT/ACT exams and of course…scholarships!
Click here: https://ww3.westernwayne.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Scholarships-and-Career-Opportunities-May-2026.pdf [...]
Western Wayne Annual Art Exhibit & Spring Concerts on May 9May 4, 2026Western Wayne’s annual art exhibit and spring concerts will take place on Saturday, May 9.
The art exhibit will run in the high school gymnasium from 2 to 5 p.m. It will mainly feature high school artwork with special displays by our seniors. In addition, a select sample of middle and elementary student artwork will be on display.
The concert schedule is as follows: the sixth-grade concert will begin at 11 a.m.; the seventh- grade concert will begin at 1 p.m., the eighth- grade concert will begin at 3 p.m.; and the high school concert will begin at 5 p.m. with all concerts in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the high school.
There will be concessions for sale in the high school cafeteria throughout the day. All events are free of charge. Please join us in the celebrating the arts in our school. [...]
