The 2023 Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstars Awards Ceremony took place on May 9. Western Wayne had three students selected to the 25-member team from over 20 NEPA schools. The students were selected based only on their merits/accolades by a team of individuals working in admissions at area colleges and universities. The students earned medals for their selection to the team and are pictured below from left to right: Kylie Merring, Marshall Davis, Evan Peirce, and Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal.
The NEIU Scholar of the Year Ceremony took place at Lackawanna CTC on May 10. The recipient of the award for Western Wayne High School was Kylie Merring. Pictured below from left to right is Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal; Kylie Merring, Western Wayne NEIU Scholar of the Year, and Mr. Bill Gershey, who serves on the Western Wayne Board of Education and the NEIU Board of Directors.
From left, senior creative construction students Angelina Salvatore, Ava Daniels, and Analise DeLeon-Bello.
Western Wayne Fashion students are thrilled to invite the community to their annual Catwalk Fashion Show on Tuesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. This year the show titled “Fashion Flix” is a dedication to Western Wayne’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. The admission fee for adults is $2 dollars. All proceeds will be donated to a local food pantry. Students get in for free. The students will also host the show for an audience of their peers during the school day on Tuesday, May 23.
Pieces made by students in grades 9 through 12 will be featured. The students also worked in teams led by senior fashion students Analise DeLeon-Bello, Angelina Salvatore, and Ava Daniels. The feature fashions of the Catwalk came from an inspiration of movies from the 1970s to the present which honors the decades of Western Wayne’s 50 years. The show will also feature some video clips of Western Wayne alumni who are working in the fashion industry.
The students worked on a set timeline to design a series of pieces for the competition portion of the show. The winner of the competition will be announced at the show on the evening of Tuesday, May 23.
All students involved did an amazing job with this year’s theme Fashion Flix. The student designers used popular decade flicks as inspiration for their garments. The garments were designed to be street wear, not costumes, with the flicks providing the theme and music only for the competition.
The decade themed flicks included Rocky to represent 1970-80; Dirty Dancing to represent 1980-90; Harry Potter to represent 1990- 2000; Avatar to represent 2000-2010; and Stranger Things to represent 2010-2020.
Colleen Carmody, show director and fashion teacher, feels proud of all of her students—especially her three seniors who have their collections featured in the show.
Senior Analise DeLeon-Bello’s collection has the theme EcoLeon which represents how sustainability in fashion is important.
“You can use materials and repurpose them for a variety of things,” Analise explained.
Her favorite garment from the collection is a transformation piece.
“It is symbolic to me,” Analise said. “It is a gray dress that represents industrialized pollution and then when it is released it turns into another green dress that represents how nature overcomes.”
Analise also headed up the competition team called Carmody’s Angels for the show. She feels very proud of her team and especially enjoyed the dress inspired by Dirty Dancing that they made. She described the dress as yellow with flower appliqués on it.
“It was the most fun dress out of every piece that we made,” she explained. “We were able to have a lot of creativity in making it.”
Analise looks forward to continuing to grow her creative skills in college next year. She will attend Albright College and major in fashion design. She is interested in both the business and design aspects of a career in fashion.
Fellow senior Angelina Salvatore will also attend Albright College next year with a major in costume design. She always enjoyed fashion from a young age when she would color designs in coloring books. She remembers getting fabric for holiday gifts growing up and falling in love with her first sewing machine.
“I enjoy making pieces that are unique,” Angelina said.
Her senior collection has many such pieces. It is called Ang-Vant-Guard, a play on the words of the French term avant-garde. As the title suggests, her collection features a lot of unconventional fashion.
“Since I want to major in costume design, I used this opportunity to experiment with different things,” she explained.
One piece in her collection that stands out to her is her prom dress which she made from scratch. It is a floor-length gown with an olive green metallic underlay and a fully-boned corset top.
The piece is especially meaningful because it was the first project in her freshman design class that she drew and then was able to create in her senior year.
“I’m really proud of my prom dress,” she said.
Angelina also felt proud to work to lead her group Backstreet Girlies for the competition portion of the show. She especially liked working on the team’s Stranger Things inspired piece because of the challenges it presented.
They created a garment made of vinyl and bubble wrap. Angelina described the challenges of sewing those types of materials together.
“It took some time to get the materials to go together on the sewing machine, but once we figured it out, we were really happy with the results.”
Fellow senior team member Ava Daniels also worked to lead the Backstreet Girlies for the competition. Ava was really happy with how her group excelled at working together.
“If someone was down in the group, then someone else would help out right away,” Ava explained.
Ava’s senior collection is called AvFall’n. It is a play on words for her name and the fall tones that are featured in her ensemble of pieces. All of her garments have fall tones of yellow, brown, etc. She loved how all of her pieces turned out. One piece that she really likes is a V-neck summer dress in yellow. She used two different patterns for the dress including a top portion that she created herself.
Ava plans to attend Thomas Jefferson University for fashion design.
Carmody and her students feel so grateful to be able to invite the community to their evening show on Tuesday, May 23, and they look forward to creating more designs to share with the Western Wayne community in the future.
We are hosting Junior Information Night on Tuesday, May 2nd at 6:00p.m. in the high school auditorium. School Counselors will present information to parents and students on: Choosing a College/ Training Program, College Cost, College Admissions Process, SATs/ACTs Registration and Deadlines, General Financial Aid Information, and other important information. All juniors and their parents should plan to attend.
The 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!
From left: Maria Shemanski, Rachel Enslin, and Hailey McCollum-Fitzpatrick, students from RDW, who competed in the 2023 Girls STEM Competition on April 15 at Valley View.From left: Molly Gifford, grade 4; Taylor Brown, grade 4; and Mia Padula, grade 4; who competed in a total of four events at the 2023 Girls STEM Competition on April 15 at Valley View .Western Wayne Middle Schooler Reyna Weaver who has been selected to attend the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge this summer.
Western Wayne elementary students placed well in their respective competitions at the 2023 Girls STEM Competition held at Valley View High School on Saturday, April 15. RDW 5th graders, Maria Shemanski (5), Skylar Horst (5), Hailey McCollum-Fitzpatrick (5): placed 3rdoverall in the 4-6th grade age group. In addition, for our RDW students, Rachel Enslin (4) and Makayla Franckowiak (5): placed 5th overall in the 4-6th grade age group. Also, Evergreen Elementary 4th graders, Mia Padula (4), Taylor Brown (4), and Molly Gifford (4): placed 1st overall in the 4-6th grade age group in the Computer Programming event.
The fourth grade students competed in four total events: Programming using Scratch; Mathematics solving problems and puzzle;, Science where they made their own lip-gloss with a Makeup Chemist; and engineering where they had to design, build, and test a vehicle, device and ramp to achieve a common goal. There were 1st place prizes in each of the four categories awarded, and there were overall places 1st through 5th for combined scores from all four events.
Finally, WWMS current 6th grader Reyna Weaver has been selected to attend the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge this summer before her 7th grade year. She participated in this event when she was in fifth grade and really enjoyed applying her knowledge of science.
Established in 1990, the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge is a residential, hands-on learning experience for Appalachia’s middle and high school students, as well as high school teachers in STEM-related fields. Hosted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this program is a gateway to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the Appalachian Region.
All participants work with award-winning scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the largest U.S. Department of Energy research facilities in the United States. High school and middle school students conduct guided group science, math, and computer science technology research projects, while high school teachers work with science practitioners to develop STEM-related curriculum. The program culminates in a graduation ceremony where participants showcase their work.
Western Wayne Middle Schooler Reyna Weaver is very excited to be offered the opportunity to participate in this experience.
“I really enjoy working on STEM related projects and am excited to be offered the chance to participate in this event,” Reyna said.
The Western Wayne Scholastic Team performed very well this school year. They defeated Valley View at a Scholastic Scrimmage hosted by WVIA by a score of 245-110. Team members are: Kylie Merring, Evan Peirce, Alex Chapman, Emily Brophy, and Bernie Roedel. From left, in both photos: Emily Brophy, Kylie Merring, Alex Chapman, and Evan Peirce.
“Robert D Wilson students give a huge SHOUT OUT to the Hamlin/Lake Rotary Club for the Colorado Blue Spruce. Thank you Jennifer Wargo for the delivery …we appreciate the kindness from all!”
Students in the Gifted program at Robert D. Wilson Elementary studied volcanoes! Avrianna O’Malley and Brinley Jenkins studied the various parts of volcanoes, how volcanoes are formed and how they erupt. They learned about the distinctions between active, dormant and extinct volcanoes, and between lava and magma. The girls then applied this knowledge to building their own functional model volcanoes. They each prepared a presentation to share their research with their respective regular education classroom. Their classmates enjoyed learning about volcanoes, and they especially enjoyed the volcanic eruptions!
Dr. Mark Nebzydoski Receives Prestigious Charlie Bright Award from Wayne Pike Trout UnlimitedApril 15, 2025On Saturday, April 12, 2025, during the annual Wayne Pike Trout Unlimited Banquet and Fundraiser, Dr. Mark Nebzydoski—a science teacher at Western Wayne High School and passionate participant in the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program—was honored with the 2025 Charlie Bright Award.Presented by the members of the Wayne Pike Trout Unlimited Chapter, the Charlie Bright Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, dedicated service, and meaningful contributions to cold-water conservation. The award is named in honor of Charlie Bright, a beloved long-time Trout Unlimited member and owner of the Charlie Bright Fly Fishing Shop in Rowland, located on the banks of the Lackawaxen River, which he operated for more than 40 years.“It was truly a humbling experience to be recognized for my work in watershed education and cold-water conservation,” Dr. Nebzydoski said. “I am deeply grateful for this kind gesture.”Dr. Nebzydoski leads the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program at Western Wayne High School, where students raise rainbow trout from eggs provided by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. Throughout the school year, students care for the trout and learn about aquatic ecosystems, biology, and the importance of clean, cold water for trout survival. The program culminates in a spring field trip to the Varden Conservation Area, where the trout—now fingerlings—are released into the wild. Wayne Pike Trout Unlimited proudly partners in this annual release, helping to connect students directly with conservation in action.This recognition highlights Dr. Nebzydoski’s commitment not only to science education but also to fostering environmental stewardship in the next generation.
Picture Caption: (Left to Right: Vice President Wayne Pike TU – Tony Capitano; President Wayne Pike TU- Paul Ranello; Western Wayne Science Teacher, Dr. Mark Nebzydoski; Wayne Pike TU Youth Advisor – Don Strathy) [...]
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Freedom Lodge #88 Donates Bench to WWHSApril 15, 2025Western Wayne junior Connor Buchinski is in The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Freedom Lodge #88 in Honesdale. Connor has been a part of this organization for about a year now. Membership in The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is somewhat of a legacy in his family with his grandfather Dennis Buchinski being a member along with his father Doug Buchinski and other family members.
One of the community outreach efforts of Freedom Lodge #88 is collecting soft plastic. There is even a collection bin in the office of the Western Wayne High School. Once 1,000 lbs. of plastic is gathered the organization recycles with the Trex Bench program and donates a Bench to a non-profit organization. It was Connor’s idea to donate one of the benches this year to Western Wayne High School.
“I thought students would enjoy it during their lunch periods,” Connor said. “I really like working with this organization because of the new people I get to meet and the members of the community that I get to help.”
On Monday April 14th Freedom Lodge #88 members donated the Trex Bench to Western Wayne High School.
Freedom Lodge #88 also donated a history book to the Western Wayne High School Library on the Pennsylvania history of The Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Connor plans to work to collect more plastic and donate another bench to the Western Wayne High School before his senior year is over.
From left, standing: Sarah Rickert, high school teacher; Dennis Hiller, Lodge #88; Mr. Paul B. Gregorski, high school principal; Dennis Buchinski, Lodge #88 member; Maria Phillips, high school teacher; and Forrest Goodenough, Lodge #88 member. From left, seated: Doug Buchinski, Lodge #88 member; and Connor Buchinski, Lodge #88 member and Western Wayne junior. [...]
High School’s Student Council attends Student Council ConferenceApril 4, 2025Western Wayne High School’s Student Council was invited to attend the annual Pennsylvania Association of Student Council’s Region H Conference, hosted by Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School, on Friday, March 28th. Several of our students joined the 535 delegates, presenters, and advisors for a day of networking and learning more about what it means to be an effective leader in school and how to become one! Our students were thrilled with the opportunity to attend and left energized to put much of what they learned into practice here at Western Wayne! Pictured from left to right are Autumn Sawicki, Leah Reeger, Sadie Booths, Dakota Douglas, Madison Forgione, Raegan Fox, Makenzie Chearney, and Madie Kizer. [...]
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.
