Officer Urban giving the presentation to the entire Western Wayne Middle School grades six through eight.
Western Wayne Middle School students attended a school-wide presentation on the dangers of bullying, specifically cyberbullying, on Wednesday, December 13, in the Middle School Gym, given by TFC. Robert M. Urban, Community Services Officer, Public Information Officer, at Troop R. Dunmore. Officer Urban gave the students a lot of important information on how not to be a bystander in a bullying situation along with explaining the importance of being kind to others, and a discussion of the legal repercussions that a person could face if the bullying they partake in leads to another person hurting themselves. The district is thankful to Officer Urban for taking the time to discuss these important issues with their students.
Juniors MaKennah Holbert (left) and Elizabeth Washine (right) proudly display Santa letters.Sophomore Audrey Agnello (left) and junior Paige Haswell (right) show off a hand-made ornament.
Western Wayne High School students in the Creative Writing elective classes served as Santa’s helpers by composing official North Pole responses and crafting gifts for some RDW students who wrote to Santa about their wish lists. Students were excited for the opportunity to use their talents to do a good deed this holiday season.
From left: Makayla Walton, Julia Wehrmann, Colette Schmitt, Kallie Wehrmann, and Lia Hartman.From left: Anita Vanyo, Stephanie Mildner, Sean Owens, Jacob Dietrich, and Jacob Schott.
This past October Western Wayne High School science students participated in the WAHS Engineering Competition held at Wallenpaupack Area High School and hosted by the WAHS Technology Club Kiley and Associates.
It was a one-day engineering and design contest for local high schools. Teams were presented with a challenge at the start of the event. This year’s challenge was to make a marble move from one end of a board to the other in a certain timeframe. The marble had to move from one corner of the space to the other and couldn’t go off of it.
Students were given specific materials to use for the challenge which included: pipe cleaners, tape, uncooked pasta, rope, chain, silly puddy, wood blocks, etc.
Two groups of Western Wayne High Schoolers participated and competed against groups of students from other local schools. One of the Western Wayne groups won the award for the Most Ingenious Use of Materials. This winning group included: Makayla Walton, Julia Wehrmann, Colette Schmitt, Kallie Wehrmann, and Lia Hartman. A second group of Western Wayne students also participated and had a great learning experience: Anita Vanyo, Stephanie Mildner, Sean Owens, Jacob Dietrich, and Jacob Schott.
Lia Hartman, Western Wayne junior, who plans to attend medical school and study pathology in the future, explained how her group used their materials “ingeniously” for the challenge.
“Instead of having it all one dimension, we created a wall and along the wall funnels to slow down the marble,” she explained. ‘We also included a maze at the bottom of our project.”
All of Lia’s teammates were excited to be recognized for their work in the competition.
“I thought I was going to feel a lot more pressure,” Makayla Walton, a Western Wayne junior who wishes to attend a four-year college after graduation to study psychology and also wants to pursue a doctorate in the same field, said. “But I realized that everyone had the same task to accomplish and that we needed to have confidence in ourselves and each other.”
Another one of their teammates, Julia Wehrmann, a Western Wayne junior, who would like to study science and medicine after graduation, explained how she learned a lot about adapting to unexpected situations from the competition.
“When we practiced ahead of time for the event, we didn’t know exactly how difficult it would be,” she explained. “At the actual competition, the scenario was harder than we anticipated, and we had to work together to meet the challenge.”
All of the Western Wayne students who attended the event felt like they learned a lot and those who are not seniors look forward to participating in the competition again next year.
From left: Khloe Mistishin, Semi Princess; and Paul Borowski, Semi Prince.From left: Mr. Robert Black, high school assistant principal; Khloe Mistishin, Semi Princess; Paul Borowski, Semi Prince; and Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal.
This past Saturday, Dec. 2, Western Wayne hosted their annual Semi Formal which took place at Ladore Camp in Waymart from 4 to 9 p.m. About 300 people were in attendance that included students, faculty, and security members. The theme was Hollywood and the student body voted sophomores Khloe Mistishin and Paul Borowski to be crowned as Semi Princess and Semi Prince.
The December 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!
The Western Wayne Drama Club recently had its first-ever Broadway trip on November 8 to see the musical Wicked which is celebrating 20 years on Broadway this year. The students enjoyed a fun-filled day which also included a stop at the well-known Ellen’s Stardust Diner where they were entertained by their “world famous” singing wait staff while they enjoyed lunch. The students felt inspired by all of the incredibly talented performers they encountered on their trip and are set to begin working on their upcoming spring musical at Western Wayne, The Addams Family School Edition, with performances to be held on Friday, April 12; Saturday, April 13; and Sunday, April 14.
The first season of Girls on the Run at Western Wayne Middle School has been declared a success by students, coaches, and parents! Sixteen of our students joined hundreds of girls at Keystone College for a celebratory 5k event on November 15th.
Girls on the Run/Heart and Sole is a nationwide after school activity which offers a 10 week curriculum based program based around running. Western Wayne has been awarded full scholarships to make the program accessible to all. Each week’s activities have a different theme, like friendships, emotions and building connections in our community. The students play games, have discussions and then tackle a strength training and running workout as a team.
Coach Rachel Fitzmorris said, “We are grateful for the support of parents in our District, and also to the coaches, Rachel Dennis, Amanda Steinmetz, and Bernadette Metschulat for their time. We are already planning a Spring season, this time on a Saturday morning. We are also planning to offer the program to the Elementary grades 3-5. Parents have reached out to tell us the program helped their students develop confidence and make friends, as well as becoming more interested in fitness.”
From left: Vallita Belinova, Stephanie Maxwell, Emily Lescinski, and Owen Obloshny
Western Wayne chorus students have qualified to participate in the PMEA District 9 Chorus Festival at Dallas High School this coming January. Students were chosen from recorded video auditions that were submitted in October. The Western Wayne Chorus students selected to attend this year are Vallita Belinova, 11th Grade, 17th on Soprano 1; Stephanie Maxwell, 11th Grade, 2nd Alternate on Soprano 1; Emily Lescinski, 12th Grade, 16th on Soprano 1; and Owen Obloshny, 10th Grade, 12th on Tenor 1. All of the students are eager to have the opportunity to attend districts.
“I’m really excited to work with students from other districts and learn more about music,” senior Emily Lescinski said.
Mrs. Ort stands surrounded by every student she makes an impact on at Western Wayne on a daily basis from grades seven through twelve.Mrs. Ort by the Jolly Green Giant balloon which was just ahead of her performance group at the parade.An aerial shot of the America’s Band Directors Band on parade day.Mrs. Ort by the Jolly Green Giant balloon which was just ahead of her performance group at the parade.From left, Chris Bohinski, Rachel Malak, and Mrs. Elaine Ort, from her interview with them on the Monday, Nov. 27, PA Live show.: Mrs. Ort reacts to her band, color guard, and musical students having a special surprise tribute parade to send her off to New York City.From left, Caden Wilson, senior drum major; Mrs. Elaine Ort, band director; and junior drum major Lia Hartman.From left, Ort and Lia Hartman leading the Western Wayne High School Marching Band.
“Mrs. Ort, your band is ready for you,” junior Western Wayne Drama Club vice president, Bobby Scramuzza, announced over the loudspeaker to the faculty and staff of the Western Wayne High School and Middle School, as part of a special surprise tribute to the district’s beloved band director on Friday, Nov. 17. Ort represented Western Wayne at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a part of the project Saluting America’s Band Directors. Students in the Western Wayne high school marching band, color guard, drama club, and middle school band along with faculty and staff paid tribute to Mrs. Ort with a special parade through the hallways of the high school and middle school. The procession was led by drum major junior Lia Hartman and, of course, Mrs. Ort herself. Hartman and senior drum major Caden Wilson conducted the musical selections for the traveling tribute played by the high school marching band with members of the color guard and drama club in tow. The procession ended at the middle school gym where Ort was surprised to see her 7th and 8th grade students ready to play “Let’s Go, Cats!” with the high schoolers as a special send off for the closing number. But first Ort was treated to a unique rendition of “Hey, Baby!” played by the high school marching band featuring new lyrics for her send off and sung by everyone in attendance, “Hey, Mrs. Ort! Oo! Ah! You’re gonna go to New York City!” Before embarking for the Big Apple on Sunday, Nov. 19, Ort was interviewed and featured on WBRE-TV news with her high school band students. In addition, she did an interview with local radio host Rocky Rhodes in which Rhodes promoted her feature by calling her a “superstar.” Ort is humbled by all of the attention and felt extremely proud to represent the district at Macy’s. In addition, she did a playing spot on the Fox & Friends morning show on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to promote the upcoming performance of Saluting America’s Band Director’s in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. “I was so honored to represent Western Wayne and all of my music students in NYC!” Ort said. Ort had an amazing experience at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade playing with the America’s Band Director’s Band and can’t wait to see what event they may play at next. On Monday, Nov. 27, Ort did a follow-up interview on WBRE’s PA Live to discuss her performance experience in detail. See link below
Mrs. Maria Miller has been chosen to receive the 2023 Administrator Appreciation Award from the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA). This rare distinction “acknowledges administrators who demonstrate an understanding and support of, commitment to and belief in the role of school counselors and comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs.” Miller will be formally recognized at the PSCA annual conference on December 7th at Kalahari Resorts and Conference Center. She has been an avid supporter of the school counseling program at RDW since they started working together in June of 2012. She is the reason the program has received national and state recognition; and she is a true champion of the school’s comprehensive school counseling program. Miller was born and raised in Waymart and has lived there her whole life. She graduated from Western Wayne School District in 1986. She then attended Marywood University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Early Childhood (1990) and Master’s Degree in Early Childhood (1992). Later, she received her Principal Certification in 1997 from The University of Scranton. Miller has worked at R.D. Wilson for the past 33 years. She was a classroom teacher for 10 years, serving students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Fourth Grade before entering her current role as principal. Miller is a champion of her community and has devoted her career to bettering the lives of the students and families in this area that she calls home.
Mrs. Miller spear-headed the efforts to bring the PROSPER Program to the Western Wayne School District. Based out of Penn State, this program trains local teams to lead family-based and school-based prevention program efforts on the ground in their communities. In addition to her many roles at school, Miller is Waymart Historical Society: Vice President; has her RAMP-Certification: Principal of a RAMP-Certified school (2019-2024), currently supporting the counselor in applying for Re-RAMP and the PA Black Diamond Program award. Also, R.D. Wilson received the Adequate Yearly Progress PDE achievement recognition every year from 2002 until 2011 (when PA stopped awarding this to schools) under Miller’s leadership. Miller is thrilled to represent Western Wayne at the awards ceremony to receive her great honor in early December.
ALL NEWS
High School February Students of the MonthMarch 5, 2025The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for February. 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, Leah Reeger is our selected freshman. Leah is an all-around excellent student who has a passion for art. In addition, she is involved in Envirothon, Student Council, and Ultimate Frisbee. One of her favorite classes is her Honors English class. She feels as though her writing is growing in strength this year, especially her poetry and literary analysis work.
She also is greatly enjoying her Introduction to Ceramics class this year.
“We are learning how to make basic items like bowls,” Leah explained. “I really like coming up with new items to create and then making them a reality through my art.”
Leah aspires to own a coffee shop with an art theme that focuses on nature.
Next, Eric McGrath is our chosen sophomore this month. Eric is an enthusiastic student who gives his best effort in all he does. His sports and activities include soccer, track, and Envirothon. His favorite class this year is English.
“I like writing best, especially fiction analysis,” he said. Eric plans to attend college after graduation with an undecided major at the moment.
In addition, Loucynthia Allen is this month’s featured junior. She is another very dedicated student who enjoys art. Her clubs and activities include Spanish Club, National Art Honor Society, and Envirothon.
Her favorite class this year is ceramics.
“I really like being in my own world when I create art,” she said.
She aspires to become a dentist or dental hygienist for her future career.
Finally, David Elias is our senior spotlight this month. David is an exceptional academic student and talented student athlete. His sports and activities include basketball, track and FBLA.
His favorite class is calculus.
“I enjoy problem solving and working with numbers,” he said.
David plans to attend a four-year university upon graduation with an undecided major.
The Western Wayne School District congratulates these February students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.
From left: Leah Reeger, Eric McGrath, Mr. Robert Black, high school assistant principal; Loucynthia Allen, and David Elias. [...]
PA State Grant UpdateMarch 5, 2025PA State Grant Information:
PHEAA has informed us that they will be not be using GrantUS to process the PA State Grant. They will be using their legacy system and expect to have initial emails to students to apply for the 2025-26 PA State Grant in April. Please be on the lookout for an email from PHEAA if you filled out your FAFSA regarding the state grant [...]
Students Win Big With Energy Efficiency!March 4, 2025A group of ninth grade students at Western Wayne High School received the Honorable Mention award in a special PPL contest.
Aidyn Graci and Mitchell Ferraro General Science, students from the high school were the Honorable Mention winners in the PPL Electric THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge. The contest required students to develop an interactive and hands-on presentation on energy, natural resources and environmental issues.
Science teacher Dr. Mark Nebzydoski led the challenge for Western Wayne by registering all Western Wayne High School students for free energy conservation kits, which consisted of three compact fluorescent light bulbs, a smart energy power strip, a shower timer, a faucet aerator and water-saving shower head. Each student was then asked to take the kits home, install the energy-saving equipment and survey how much energy was saved due to the use of the equipment.
“The students projects submitted were very creative and entertaining.” Nebzydoski said. “Seeing students learning about energy efficiency and applying it to the real world is the perfect model of how education should work.” “High school students are tomorrow’s homeowners, so reinforcing energy efficiency messages is important.”
The winning students’ project included a video on energy efficiency. They can be found from a link on the Western Wayne Website. https://youtu.be/EDmCGFHw4Lk Winning students each received Beats wireless earbuds. Dr. Nebzydoski received $250 for classroom supplies.
“I am proud of the student’s hard work and achievement,” Dr. Nebzydoski said.
The students really had a lot of fun making the video with the ongoing theme of “Come on, Mr. Nebz!” Throughout the clip, they kept telling their favorite teacher to be more careful about energy usage in his classroom.
Mitchell Ferraro, who of the winning students who aspires to be a social studies teacher, really liked how fun it was to make the video and tell Mr. Nebz what to do throughout it.
Fellow video creator Aidyn Graci, who aspires to study business one day be very successful, was relieved when they finished the project. “I was glad to get to the end and see our hard work pay off,” he said.
PPL Electric Utilities, in conjunction with National Energy Foundation (NEF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), is proud to sponsor the THINK! ENERGY with E-power educational program. There are three program offerings for various grade levels and each is designed to provide teachers and students with energy education. All program offerings are free and are correlated to Pennsylvania learning standards.
Please see contest link https://thinkenergy.org/ppl-innovation/teachers/
From left: Dr. Mark Nebzydoski, Mitchell Ferraro, and Aidyn Graci. [...]
PPL Awards Gift Certificate to Western Wayne SophomoreMarch 4, 2025PPL awarded Western Wayne sophomore student Liam O’Brien an amazon gift card as a prize for completing a survey about his usage of tools in the Innovation Kit that all Western Wayne 9th grade high school students got as a part of the PPL Think! Energy program this past fall. The students were challenged to use the items in the kit such as a smart power strip, LED bulbs, and a special shower head for water conservation, among other items. Liam, who aspires to study culinary arts or sports broadcasting in the future, and many other Western Wayne students used these items and then filled in a survey about their experiences. Liam was the lucky winner drawn at random for the Western Wayne School District. Liam said he got the most use out of the power strip from the PPL kit. He likes his science class and prioritizes helping the environment. “I think it is important to be environmentally conscientious so that plants in nature can thrive and people in general have better health,” Liam said.From left: Dr. Mark Nebzydoski and Liam O’Brien. [...]
Scholarships & Career Opportunities – March EditionMarch 3, 2025The March 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/2025/03/Scholarships-and-Career-Opportunities-March-2025-2.pdf [...]
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.
