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
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 |
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
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.
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.”
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 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.
On Friday, March 23rd, the Western Wayne High School Guidance Department, through the help of a grant from the Wayne/Pike Workforce Alliance, took 11th grade students to tour La Salle University, Thomas Jefferson University, Temple University and Drexel University. This trip allowed students to visit schools they might not have had the chance to see, learn about their programs, discover what they might like or not like in a college and get the feel of different campuses.
Creating a model roller coaster, building a model plane, and designing a model bridge were just some of the tasks that Western Wayne Middle school students faced at the Science Olympiad Northeast Regional Tournament on Friday, March 9, at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus.
Due to weather conditions, Western Wayne arrived late and competed in eight of the 23 events they were prepared to participate in. However, in the ten of the 15 events they did compete in, they ranked within the top ten schools.
Some of Western Wayne’s eighth grade students placed in the top five of their events. Jenny Guadagno received a 4th place medal in the Ecology event. She explained how for the event students had to take a test about how organisms respond to their environment. Jenny plans to pursue a career in the STEM field.
“A competition such as this helps you get to learn a lot about how to research,” she explained. “I think this will help me be better prepared for a science career.”
Jenny’s classmates, Rachel Tuman, who also wishes to have a STEM career, and Alexandra Butler, who aspires to be a surgeon or marine biologist, received 4th place medals in the Rocks and Minerals event.
The girls discussed how in preparation of the competition they spent time creating a binder of notes to help them in identifying the rocks and minerals they could encounter. They, also, feel they learned a lot about research and preparation from their experience at Science Olympiad.
“We learned about how important careful preparation is for an event such as ours,” Alex said.
The following Western Wayne Middle School students also competed and did a wonderful job: Alexandra Bien-Aime, Jenna Eldred, Sydney Ely, Bridgette Summers-Flannery, Trinity Foulds, Jaden Gregory, Rachel Hoch, Ivan Knecht, Hudson Malinowski, Anna Mangieri, Emma Pike, Stephanie Room, Kailey Tickner, and Adelaide Treibley.
Pictured are members of Western Wayne Middle School’s Science Olympiad team. From left, kneeling: Alexandra Butler, Kailey Tickner, Jenny Guadagno, Sydney Ely, Emma Pike, Jaden Gregory, and Ivan Knecht. From left, standing: Mrs. Nichole Musewicz, team advisor; Rachel Hoch, Rachel Tuman, Anna Mangieri, Trinity Foulds, Jenna Eldred, Hudson Malinowski, and Miss Elizabeth Watson, Middle School assistant principal.
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. [...]
