Attention all Wildcats: Western Wayne High School CATS Club will be hosting a fundraiser to help the Children of Ukraine. We will be selling t-shirts and all proceeds will be donated to UNICEF targeted for the Children of Ukraine. You can order your t-shirts online by going to the Western Wayne website and click on the site or go to https://catsclub.itemorder.com/shop/sale/ . The t-shirts will be delivered to your school, or you can have them mailed directly to your home at an additional cost. The cost of the t-shirt will be $17.50. They will be available in either youth or adult sizes. Thank you.
The Western Wayne Drama Club will host a Little Shop of Horrors Character Drive-Through Breakfast on Saturday, March 19. The whole cast and crew will be there to distribute a delicious breakfast of French toast sticks, sausage links, fruit, and juice. Cast will also be available for pictures. Cost of the breakfast is $10 dollars apiece and all proceeds benefit the Western Wayne Drama Club. Included in the cost of the breakfast is a plant-themed souvenir. Food can be picked up in the high school parking lot by the entrance to the auditorium. The day of the breakfast you can also purchase raffle tickets for our Little Shop Seymour Teddy Bear. The winner will be drawn the weekend of our production which is scheduled for Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 2, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m., in Western Wayne’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The cast and crew look forward to seeing you at their upcoming events! To reserve tickets for the breakfast email Mrs. Jessica McLaughlin at jmclau@wwsd.io Reservations due by Friday, March 11.
January 9th is Law Enforcement Recognition Day. Western Wayne School District would like to publicly recognize and thank our School Police Officers. The primary goal of the school police officer is to assist school administration in maintaining a safe and secure environment, and we are so thankful for their willingness to go above and beyond to support our Wildcat Family.
To Officer Paul Semler, Officer Marty Robbins, Officer Wayne Thomas, and Officer Danny Martin- THANK YOU for your service and dedication to our students, faculty, staff, and community.
The Western Wayne Drama Club will be wrapping gifts for community members and/ or faculty and staff on Tuesday, Dec. 21, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Snow date is Wednesday, Dec. 22. Let the students wrap your gifts for you! All are welcome! Cost of wrapping is a donation of your choice. Hope we can take some stress off of you during this busy holiday season! All proceeds benefit our Drama Club students. Our spring 2022 production will be Little Shop of Horrors. From left, sitting in the back row, Drama Club members: Colette Schmitt and Joanna Regalbuto. From left in front row: Robert Scramuzza, Julia Phillips, Amanda David, and Gabe Treibley.
Western Wayne School District in coordination with community donors will be sponsoring a limited number of students for holiday gifts. If you are experiencing hardship this holiday season and are interested in your child/children being sponsored please complete this google form by Friday November 19 at 3:00 p.m. All identifying information will remain confidential. All students will be assigned a number. No names will be provided to the person sponsoring them. Pick up for gift items will be held on December 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the High School Main Office. https://forms.gle/KjnKEhdiFWmghe7V7
Nutritious free meals are available for children and teens, 18 and younger, at many locations across the nation throughout the summer while school is out of session.
Western Wayne is taking part in the Pennsylvania School Climate Survey series provided by The Pennsylvania Department of Education. This survey will provide the district with formative and summative climate data for our needs assessments, program development, and short and long-term improvement planning. Participation in the survey is voluntary; responses are confidential.
Note: Parents or guardians of a current Western Wayne student are encouraged to complete a different survey. The parent/guardian survey link is https://bit.ly/3uLUCmn.
Please contact the District Office with any questions. Thank you for your time. Survey links expire on June 30, 2021.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving Western Wayne School District worked with several individuals and organizations to conduct a food drive to help families in need in their district this holiday season. Mrs. Bernice Fiorella, Western Wayne School Board President, worked to coordinate the event with many others. Harry Howell has worked on this endeavor for the last twelve years with the American Legion and the veterans. This year Mr. Howell donated $500. Also, the Hamlin Rotary donated $500 dollars and Dave’s Super Duper in Honesdale donated over $1,000. There were also several other doners who wished to remain anonymous. In addition, Jen Wargo from the Salem Township building did amazing work to coordinate the building, packing, and delivery of donated items with her husband and son. Sue Schlasta, Western Wayne social worker based at Evergreen Elementary, and the Western Wayne Guidance Department in all buildings coordinated the families in the district who needed assistance. Cindy Gibb and the Hamlin Rotary also helped to pack goods. The American Legion and veterans had their trucks ready to pick up at Dave’s Super Duper and some also helped to deliver to the Middle School. The Western Wayne CATS club helped to further organize items for distribution once they arrived at the Middle School. High School CATS Club members who helped included: Zoey Goldman, 11th grade; Kaitlyn McDermott, 11th grade; Maggie Millon, 12th grade; and Makayla Gregory 12th grade. “Our work is worth it just knowing that a family will have a good Thanksgiving dinner,” Makayla said. “It is good to help others and not expect anything in return.” Fellow senior Maggie Millon agrees. “I like helping people out and being there for others like we are all one big Western Wayne family.” All the many individuals involved in this effort to help Western Wayne families are so glad they could make Thanksgiving better for their fellow Wildcats.
ALL NEWS
FBLA Students Excel at Regional Leadership ConferenceJanuary 16, 2025Western Wayne FBLA recently attended the Regional Leadership Conference at The University of Scranton. Students participated in competitive events and attended workshops with local business leaders. Twenty-two Western Wayne Students qualified to compete in the State Leadership Conference in April. Students who qualified are as follows:
Clare Coccodrilli, Isabella Kolp, Avery Ullner – 1st Place, Intro to Social Media Strategy
Khloe Mistishin, Grace Moser, Maggie Kotchessa – 1st Place, Business Ethics
Chris Pane – 1st Place, Intro to Financial Math
Madelyn McClure – 1st Place, Intro to Parliamentary Procedure
Lance Maiocco – 1st Place, Networking Infrastructures
Lily Kieva & Julia Wehrmann – 1st Place, Sales Presentation
Makenzie Chearney – 2nd Place, Intro to FBLA
Phoebe Schmitt & Audrey Agnello – 2nd Place, Social Media Strategies
Colette Schmitt – 2nd Place, Public Speaking
Nathaniel Amberg – 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking
Kyle Matthews – 3rd Place, Intro to Event Planning
Abigail Bell – 3rd Place, Intro to FBLA
Ciarra Kidder – 3rd Place, Accounting 1
Olivia Gries – 4th Place, Business Communication
Paityn Duprey – 4th Place, Intro to Business Communication
Eli Bilski – 4th Place, Intro to Business Procedures
Lastly, Madelyn McClure was voted to serve as the 2025-26 Region 22 Secretary.
The District is proud of our FBLA members’ hard work and commitment to the program.
Photo One:
From left, row one: Grace Langendoerfer, David Elias, Ethan Lamberton, Timmy Roberts, Madelyn McClure, Audrey Agnello, Phoebe Schmitt, Ciarra Kidder, Olivia Gries, Isabella Kolp, Clare Coccodrilli, Avery Ullner, Cameron Press, and Myles Lee.
From left, row two: Carmine Leggio, Connor Bryant, Jared Goldman, Emaan Tanveer, Lily Kieva, Grace Moser, Maggie Kotchessa, Graysen Valinski, Paul Borowski, and Lance Maiocc.o
From left, row three: Jason Vass, Julia Wehrmann, Khloe Mistishin, Colette Schmitt, Vinny Baldini, and Mitchell Ferraro.
From left, row four: Mia Arcadipane, Madison Trapanese, Donovan Gregorski, and Gage Roberts.
Back row: Nathaniel Amberg, Mackenzie Adams, Hannah DeStefano, Raeleigh Kromko, and Madelyn Vinton.
Photo Two:
Madelyn McClure, who was voted to serve as the 2025-26 Region 22 Secretary. [...]
Band Director Earns PMEA District 9 Citation of ExcellenceJanuary 16, 2025The Western Wayne School District would like to congratulate high school band director Mrs. Elaine Ort on being the recipient of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 9 Citation of Excellence. Mrs. Ort is the only band director in District 9 to be chosen for the award this year. This award is given to music educators who demonstrate high musical standards both inside and outside the classroom. She will attend an awards banquet at the PMEA State Conference in April to receive the official recognition.In addition, Mrs. Ort has had the honor of being a member of America’s Bands Directors with her most recent appearance with this group at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.The district is proud of Mrs. Ort’s past and most recent accomplishments.Pictured is Mrs. Ort at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Please also enjoy this link to an appearance Mrs. Ort made on PA Live last year to discuss her accomplishments in music.
https://www.pahomepage.com/pa-live/western-wayne-band-director-performs-at-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/ [...]
High School Watershed Group Receives Grant for Fourth-Grade Trip to Varden Conservation AreaJanuary 16, 2025Western Wayne High School’s Watershed Group is proud to announce the acceptance of a grant to sponsor a fourth-grade field trip to the Varden Conservation Area this spring. This initiative, led by students, exemplifies their commitment to fostering environmental stewardship and creating meaningful educational opportunities for younger learners.
Sophomore Aliyah Gregory wrote the grant and is thrilled to have been given it to use to help the younger students at Western Wayne have this unique educational experience.
“I really enjoy helping environmental causes,” Aliyah said. “I also aspire to be a teacher one day and think that working with the fourth graders later this year will be a good experience in leading others.”
The program, Community Connections to Our Watershed, has a legacy spanning over two decades. Each year, education staff from Lackawanna and Nescopeck State Parks collaborate with local schools to engage students and educators in an environmental forum. Participants explore local parks and public lands while learning from conservation professionals who work tirelessly to ensure equitable access to clean water—a resource vital for both human and ecological health. An overview of the 2023-2024 program, including information, pictures, and highlights from field trips, is available at https://tinyurl.com/CCTW2024
This year’s participating schools include:
Lackawanna County Teams: Carbondale, Forest City, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mountain View, Old Forge, Riverside, Western Wayne, and Wayne Highlands.
Luzerne County Teams: Crestwood, Hanover, HAAS, HACC, Hazleton, Northwest, Tunkhannock, and Wyoming Area.
Western Wayne High School students have already participated in enriching field trips to Lackawanna State Park, Keystone College, the Old Forge borehole, and the Alliance Landfill. These experiences provided hands-on lessons in understanding healthy watersheds, monitoring their condition, and implementing solutions to maintain water quality. These activities were made possible through support from Pennsylvania American Water Company, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and DCNR’s Watershed Education Program.
Sophomore Dakota Douglas greatly enjoyed the trip to Keystone. Part of the experience that day was the students doing a simulated bird watching activity where they used binoculars to look at pictures of birds on trails and then identify them.
“The bird watching activity was really fun,” she said. “I love science and hope to study psychology one day in college.”
The program will culminate on May 6, 2025, with a student presentation banquet at Montage Mountain. Western Wayne students will present their project, which involves designing and implementing a field trip for fourth-grade elementary students to the Varden Conservation Area. Drawing from their own learning experiences, the high school students crafted ecology-based activities to inspire and educate their younger peers.
To fund this initiative, the students successfully applied for a grant through the Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF). The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) reviewed and approved their mini-grant application, which secured funding for transportation and programming costs.
The Wayne County Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a charitable reserve for the current and future needs of Wayne County. Through its grant programs, the Foundation empowers community organizations to grow, thrive, and achieve sustainability. For more information about the Foundation, visit their office at 214 Ninth Street, Honesdale, PA 18431, call 570-251-9993, email info@waynefoundation.org, or visit https://www.waynefoundation.org.
Western Wayne High School is deeply grateful for the support that made this student-led program possible. This grant underscores the power of youth initiative and collaboration in promoting environmental awareness and education within our community.
From left, kneeling: Aliyah Gregory and Kyleigh Turner. From left, standing: Dakota Douglas, Jerrah-Ann DeBree, Mark Nebzydoski Ph.D. advisor; and Giuliana Velazquez. [...]
Curriculum Night – January 29, 2025 – 6:00-8:00 PMJanuary 10, 2025Curriculum Night will be held Wednesday, January 29, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00. Administration, Guidance and the Department Heads will go over the curriculum, graduation requirements and the scheduling process. [...]
Western Wayne School District Job OpportunitiesJanuary 2, 2025We are currently looking for a food service team member.Part-time (5 hours per day) 9 am-2 pm. Rate $14.00 per hour
Great jobs when you have students in the district…you work when they are in school.
Please reach out for more info to: Maria Liptak, RD Food Service Directormliptak@westernwayne.orgor call 1-800-321-9973 option 1
Applicants must be in compliance with Acts 34/151/114 GuidelinesWestern Wayne School District is an EOE school district [...]
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.