Mr. Carl CanedyFront: Aaron Laubach, Michael Radomsky, Eronique White, Rhys Locklin, Chloe Jewett Back: Mr. Carl Canedy, guest speaker; Anthony Allen, Anthony Yannone, Olivia MacCollum, Brady Thomas, Gavin Ortiz, Zachary Colburn, Luke Richardson, Scarlett Pedersen, Mrs. Joyce CovaleskiFront: Christopher Scully, Micah Perez, Myles Davis, Logan Anthony, Evan Gallagher, Dayzee Craven Back: Carl Canedy, guest speaker; Logan Dockemeyer, Mason Heckman-Matern, James Talarico, Alex Harwitt, Damien West, Vincent Delaney, Lance Hauenstein, Noah Benson, David Considine, Santino Queen, Raiden Burd.
Award-winning local musician and music producer Carl Canedy was invited by teacher Mrs. Joyce Covaleski to speak to Western Wayne Middle School’s 7th Grade Performing Arts classes about careers in music and the music business. The students enjoyed the presentation which included concert tee shirts, albums, and CDs from Mr. Canedy’s bands.
From left: Gavin Steinmetz and Michaela Birnkrant practice one of their dance positions.
Learning rhythms, beats, steps, and choreography isn’t just work for the Rockettes and Broadway stars, Western Wayne High School foreign language students have a yearly tradition of learning Spanish dancing as a part of their curriculum each fall.
Local dance instructor and studio owner Vince Brust works with the Western Wayne students to teach a variety of traditional Spanish dances such as tango, merengue, mambo, and salsa among others. Brust does this as a part of the Artist in Residence Program through NEIU-19.
The students have a few weeks of sessions with Mr. Brust in the fall leading up to a performance for the community this Thursday, November 3, in the Western Wayne High School Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Admission is FREE for everyone.
The high school students were thrilled to learn how to dance and get to meet and work more closely with their fellow classmates in the process.
Junior Gavin Steinmetz said he had never danced before this fall, but that once he got started with the classes he really enjoyed them.
“It was something different,” Gavin said. “You get to engage with students you didn’t really get to in the classroom.”
Fellow junior Michaela Birnkrant also said she really had fun during her Spanish dance experience.
“I really loved learning all of the turns in the dances like the frisbee we would do when spinning away and then into our partner,” she recalled.
There will be about 30 students participating in the Spanish Dance Performance for the local community at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, in the High School Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Again, admission is FREE for all.
The students and staff involved hope to see you there for what will be about an hour of performance fun.
Shannon Croney, Western Wayne Class of 2013 alumni.Shannon Croney in her senior year at Western Wayne baking a cake in Mrs. Zoppi’s class.Western Wayne alumni Sally Jellock, Shannon Croney, and their teacher Mrs. Zoppi in 2013.One of Shannon’s custom desserts.One of Shannon’s custom desserts.
Our very own Western Wayne Alumni Shannon Croney, class of 2013, is up to be “The Greatest Baker” in an online contest hosted by thegreatestbaker.com. The public can vote for her through Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. when the first cuts are made. Then if Shannon moves on there will be additional voting for future rounds. Vote for Shannon now at the following website https://greatestbaker.com/2022/shannon-croney?fbclid=IwAR3vNOqHjsaWwMtM3EOp2Dgyefl1OuRJAEWQ3F4MMT-UdHGg8k_lQzXReDs
The winner of the contest will be featured in Bake from Scratch Magazine and will win a 10,000 dollar prize!
Shannon is a proud Western Wayne graduate who played tuba in the marching band all throughout high school and was one of the drum majors for her junior and senior years.
Of course, in addition to her musical interests in high school, Shannon also took a number of cooking classes to foster a love of the culinary arts. She took foundation of food preparation, baking and pastry, and gourmet food with Mrs. Zoppi in high school.
“There was a lot I had learned in all three of those classes that have been helpful to me- such as whisking your lemon curd quickly to avoid scrambling the eggs or using a small bit of water on top of your cream puffs to get rid of the point,” Shannon explained. “I would say that the pastry class was definitely my favorite.”
Throughout her life, Shannon has always loved cooking in general.
“ I always watched my family in the kitchen on holidays and wanted to do anything I could to help, even if it was just putting together the vegetables,” Shannon said. “I never really found my love for baking until high school. I always make cookies and cupcakes for after school activities and for my friends. Some people would even call me the ‘cookie girl’. I decided I might want to do this as a career choice and wanted to take the pastry class offered as an elective. The only issue was, I never took the foundations class and I was already a junior- most people take it as a freshman or sophomore. I’m still so grateful that Mrs. Zoppi fit me in! “
After graduating Western Wayne in 2013, Shannon went on to
attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport and earned her associates degree in Baking and Pastry.
“These early labs got me ready for what it was like out in the professional world,” Shannon explained. “I took a lot of practical classes from restaurant desserts- where you create a menu and actually serve it to the public in a restaurant setting, to bake shop production, where we got up early in the morning and opened a bakery style shop and sold that to the public as well. I got to take a lot of fun classes in between like cake design, menu and facilities planning, chocolate work and sugar work as well. Most of the skills I have learned here have set me up for success in a professional setting.”
Since graduating college, Shannon has gotten to do a variety of interesting things with her degree.
“One opportunity I had in school was to work at the Kentucky Derby for the week, which was an amazing experience,” Shannon said. “After school I tried a bunch of different things to see what type of environment I liked best. It’s okay to move around- not everything is for everybody. I soon realized I don’t care for bakery work. But I do really love the restaurant travel and leisure industry. I was the pastry chef at the Lodge at Woodloch, an award winning destination spa resort right here in the Poconos for about four years. I received an opportunity to work in Wyoming at Brush Creek Ranch- another award winning resort, where I was the pastry chef and a sous chef for 6 months. That was only seasonal, but it was an absolutely amazing opportunity that I will never forget.”
Through all of her experiences in the kitchen as a professional, Shannon’s passion for her job has remained strong.
“My favorite part about baking is the creativity and the specificity of it,” Shannon explained. “Things have to be precise and rules have to be followed- or it won’t work out. Sometimes you have to try it a few times before you figure out what the rules are or what keeps going wrong. Once you figure out what those rules are though- you can do so many things, and then start figuring out ways to bend them a bit. As for the creativity aspect- I love the surprise you get from a combination of flavors sometimes. Pairings such as, passionfruit and dark chocolate, or strawberry, black pepper, and white chocolate, are things you wouldn’t normally think go together.”
As Shannon’s career progressed, she started to learn about other avenues that could help enhance her career.
“After coming home from my seasonal place in Wyoming- I came back to the Lodge at Woodloch and started learning the hospitality side of business,” Shannon explained. “I’ve learned how to properly wait tables as well as bartend now. I love working behind the bar with my pastry knowledge because it helps me put together cocktails in a fun way with new flavors with a good balance. I still get to do my pastry as well, and I also have two classes I do with our guest sommelier- crepes & grapes, and s’mores & more- which are sweets and wine/cocktail pairings.”
Shannon is so excited to be a part of “The Greatest Baker” contest and hopes to get the votes of as many members of the Western Wayne community as she can. She hopes to make her alma mater proud if she wins, and she aspires to use the prize money to help further her career.
“ I’m hoping to do a lot of traveling in my future,” Shannon said. “I’d like to travel around and work at a lot more of those seasonal resorts around the country! “
Western Wayne sophomores Grace Lidy and Cassidy Zeiler have been chosen to represent Western Wayne at the 2023 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar to be held this spring.
The girls submitted essays on the topic of what leadership means to them and were chosen to represent Western Wayne at HOBY.
Grace and Cassidy are accomplished Western Wayne students who enjoy being a part of a variety of clubs and activities at school along with taking challenging courses.
In Grace’s essay, she discussed her views on leadership.
“Leadership isn’t about having control,” she explained. “Instead it is about letting others do what they excel at while keeping control as a leader.”
Grace is a member of FBLA, Cats Club, football cheerleading and basketball cheerleading. Her favorite classes are history and math.
“I feel my experiences at Western Wayne have taught me to always be open to others’ ideas and to not get discouraged by my mistakes but learn from them,” Grace explained.
Grace’s future plans are to attend a four-year college for psychology.
Both girls feel extremely grateful to have been recognized for their leadership essays.
Fellow classmate Cassidy Zeiler also believes that leadership isn’t about taking control.
“I think the most important part of leadership is including others’ ideas and making sure everyone is included,” Cassidy explained.
Cassidy is a member of the tennis team, CATS Club, student council, school newspaper, and NAHS. She enjoys her American Literature Honors Class this year the most.
Cassidy’s future plans are to attend nursing school. She aspires to be a traveling nurse and would like to specialize in labor and delivery.
Both Grace and Cassidy are looking forward to attending the Leadership Seminar for HOBY this spring. Everyone in the Western Wayne community wishes them well.
“I feel like I have learned a lot about leadership through my experiences at Western Wayne so far,” Cassidy said. “I have been included in a lot of activities and been allowed to contribute my ideas to make them better.”
On Saturday October 10th 2022, Shane Cook and the Woodchippers performed for a large crowd in the Western Wayne High School Auditorium. The group performed music from the folk genre known as Old Time Fiddle music and was hosted by Wayne County’s Old Time Fiddlers who joined them for a number. Some pieces also featured a step dancer whose tap shoes would echo through the auditorium as he danced on a wooden board. Shane Cook, a Canadian and U.S. National Fiddle Champion, led the band. The group is also nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards. Western Wayne Stage Crew students had a great learning experience setting up sound equipment and working with the band.
Wayne and Pike County, PA October 2022 WP Workforce Alliance SHINE After School Program is celebrating Lights-On Afterschool on October 20th. The WP SHINE afterschool program will sponsor its annual Lights On Afterschool rally on October 20th at the Hamlin Fire Depart. The event will be one of thousands across America as part of Lights On Afterschool, the annual nationwide rally for afterschool programs organized by the Afterschool Alliance. This year, Lights On Afterschool will highlight the vital importance of community collaboration in small, rural areas. While helping students recover academically and socially from the pandemic, our communities have worked hard to fill in the gaps. Hundreds of students, parents, business, and community leaders from around Wayne and Pike counties joined together for Lights On Afterschool, a rally to celebrate the achievements of afterschool students and draw attention to the need for more afterschool programs to serve the millions of children nationwide who are unsupervised and at risk each weekday afternoon. WP SHINE started in 2019 with a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant from the U.S. Department of Education. It now serves 334 children, providing homework assistance, mentoring, and STEAM enrichment. The program focuses on hands-on, project-based learning that emphasizes technological literacy. Entering the 4th year of operations, SHINE is celebrating the importance of afterschool programs by teaming up with local emergency services. As part of the service-learning curriculum, all SHINE centers will visit the Hamlin Fire Department to learn about the importance of emergency services, particularly in rural areas. Our students have spent the month learning about emergency services technologies and careers and the importance of volunteer programs. SHINE is excited to share this event with the Hamlin Fire Department and highlight the important work they are doing to keep our communities safe. Please contact your local fire departments to find out more about the work they are doing and how to get involved. Workforce Alliance SHINE encourages everyone in Wayne and Pike County to celebrate this event with us by turning their porch lights on at 4pm.
Lights-On will take place on Thursday, October 20th at 4pm.
To celebrate Fire Prevention Week, firefighters from Hamlin Fire & Rescue, Lake Ariel Fire Department and Ledgedale Fire Company were at EverGreen Elementary on Friday, October 14th to discuss fire prevention and safety with all students. Students were able to see firefighters in their turn-out gear, see different tools used to fight fires, and the different pieces of equipment each fire department has along with having lunch with some of the firefighters. Students learned valuable lessons that they will be able use in the event of an emergency.
We would like to thank Hamlin Fire & Rescue, Lake Ariel Fire Department, and Ledgedale Fire Department for coming to EverGreen Elementary.
Are you familiar with the phrase, “Community happens over coffee”?
If you are interested in learning more about our district, consider joining us for Coffee & Conversation. We hope you will stop by the District office on Friday, October 21, 2022 at 9:00 am – 10:00 am for a cup of coffee and engage in an informal conversation.
Kindly RSVP at the link below by Wednesday, October 19th. We hope to see you.
It was a beautiful night on Friday, Sept. 30, when the Homecoming Court took to the field before the home football game against West Scranton at Western Wayne’s Sharkey-Rossetti Stadium. The court crossed the field prior to the game escorted by their parents to be honored in front of their family and friends before hearing the winners. Seniors Luke Janiszewski and Cyrah Bihler were crowned Homecoming King and Queen respectively. Congratulations to all the members of our court this year! From left, Homecoming Court members: Lucas Putman, Faith Cavage, Kourtney Franklin, Kyle Guarino, Skylar Long, Luke Janiszewski, Homecoming King; Cyrah Bihler, Homecoming Queen; Dustin Ferraro, Niya Acosta, and Marshall Davis.
The Western Wayne Hot Rod Club partnered with the Drama Club hosted their 7th annual Car Show on Sunday, Oct. 2. Despite the brisk weather, the community came out to support the students. Cars filled the parking areas by the football stadium and Hot Rod Club members were able to interact with the owners of a variety of classic cars. In addition, Drama Club students dressed in 50s attire mingled with attendees as old-time music played. There was even an alumni section of cars to be seen. Prizes were awarded to the best in show and over twenty raffle baskets were given to their lucky winners. “I was thrilled to be able to have my truck in the car show,” Rebeccah King, Class of 2020 said, “I was a part of shop classes and the Drama Club when I was in school.” The Hot Rod and Drama Clubs look forward to hosting another car show next year and hope to hold it in September of 2023.
ALL NEWS
Band Performs at GDS Fair and Meets Kurt AaronAugust 29, 2024Kurt Aaron and Michael Olivo
Band and Color Guard perform at the GDS Fair.
The annual Western Wayne Marching Band and Color Guard performance at the GDS Fair was especially eventful this year because on the day of their performance Wednesday, August 28, WNEP’s Kurt Aaron and his infamous dog Ranger were also there doing live spots. Aaron briefly interviewed Western Wayne band member Michael Olivo, a senior. Michael proudly told the viewing audience about Western Wayne’s upcoming performance at the fair.
“It was really exciting to get to promote our band to a TV audience,” Michael said.
The students were thrilled to perform their 2024-25 Boy Bands themed field show for the audience along with playing some fan favorite stand tunes.
Drum majors this year are seniors Lia Hartman and Kalob Franko. This is Lia’s second season as drum major.
“We are all so grateful to be able to perform for the local community who is so supportive of us,” Lia said.
The Western Wayne Band is under the direction of Mrs. Elaine Ort who is now in her 11th season with the district.
The entire Western Wayne Band and Color Guard invite the local community to attend the first home game of the season for varsity football against Lackawanna Trail on Friday, August, 30, at the Sharkey-Rosetti stadium. Western Wayne will have the pregame show starting at about 6:45 p.m.; kick-off is at 7 p.m. [...]
Western Wayne to Host Annual Car Show Saturday, Sept. 7—NEW RAIN DATE! August 27, 2024The Western Wayne Hot Rod Club and Drama Club will host their 2024 Annual Car Show on Saturday, September 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the high school parking lot, 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA, near the football stadium. Please note our NEW RAIN DATE is Sunday, September 15.Food to be sold at the concession stand. Registration fee is $10. Spectators are free. The Hot Rod Club will give prizes for best car, truck, tractor, motorcycle, and best in show.In addition, the Drama group will sell a variety of concessions. There will also be a raffle of baskets and gift certificates generously donated by businesses and families in the local community.Drama Club student Robert Scramuzza is excited to partner with the Hot Rod Club for the for the Car Show. He explained how the Drama Club students will be dressed in 50s attire for the event.“We wanted our presence at the event to go along with the variety of cars from the past that surely will be there,” Bobby said. “We hope that the public comes out to enjoy the cars and to have some good food and purchase some chances to win baskets and gift certificates.”Members of the Drama Parents Club are working to obtain a variety of items for the raffle at the Car Show from many very generous businesses and families in our Wildcat community. The students involved in the Hot Rod Club and Drama Club can use the funds raised from this event for their club activities.The Hot Rod Club meets on a regular basis to work on a variety of automotive projects after school and can use the funds for their projects among other activities.The Drama Club meets on a regular basis after school to work on a variety of projects and activities.“Drama Club gives students a place where they can express themselves,” club president Lillian Maros explained. “We are like one big family in our club and really enjoy coming together to work as a team on events such as the Car Show.”All of the members of the Hot Rod Club, Drama Club, and Drama Parents Club cordially invite the public to attend this fun-filled event on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the High School parking lot near the stadium. Come out and see some great vehicles, take some chances on our basket raffle, enjoy some food, and enjoy some time socializing. Rain date is Sunday, September 15. [...]
Freshman Orientation – Save the Date!August 8, 2024August 22, 2024 – 6:00-7:30pm – Veterans Memorial Auditorium, WWHS
Western Wayne High School welcomes the Class of 2028!
Information on the high school/ 9th Grade Transition
High School Survival Guide
Student’s class schedule
Tours
Refreshments [...]
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.