Wayne County students from Honesdale High School and Western Wayne High School participated in the annual county-wide Envirothon competition during the last two weeks in April. The highest scoring team, Bonkers for Honkers of Western Wayne High School, will represent Wayne County in the state-wide Pennsylvania Envirothon event in May. While Wayne County station testing was administered in person at each school this year, PA Envirothon’s state competition will be a hybrid event consisting of a virtual oral component held between May 17th and 20th and field testing held in person at Camp Mount Luther on May 25th.
Envirothon is an educational competition designed to test the knowledge, skills, and problem solving capabilities of high school students regarding our earth’s natural resources. Each year, five-member teams work together to demonstrate their proficiency in subject areas including aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and a current issue, which was “Waste to Resources” this year.
Each year, the Wayne Conservation District seeks financial contributions from local businesses and organizations to support this highly successful youth conservation program. Donations support the purchase of Envirothon T-shirts, educational materials and awards, lunch and snacks, and the registration fee for the winning team to attend the state competition. This year’s event would not be possible without the support of the following sponsors: PA Envirothon, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Camp Umpy’s Bagels and Stuff, Dirlam Brothers Lumber Company, Dyberry Sand and Gravel, Elegante’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, Himalayan Institute, Honesdale Agway, Jeff George Design and Salvage Company, New Wave Woodworking Inc., Northern Tier Hardwood Association, PA Trappers Association, Professional Forest Industry Association, the Hideout, Wayne Memorial Hospital, and the Wayne Conservation District.
For more information about PA Envirothon visit www.envirothonpa.org or contact your county conservation district.

The Wayne County Arts Alliance held the grand opening of the 2022 Edition of THE GREAT WALL OF HONESDALE on June 4.

2022 marks the 7th edition of The Great Wall of Honesdale, which called for a theme of “Illumination”. The following artists were chosen for the Great Wall, their work was chosen from over 120 entries: Trudessa Batzel, Deirdre Bishop, Jill Carletti, Barbara Carpenito, Sarah Collins (Western Wayne), Sarrah Dibble-Camburn, Erica Hart, Deborah L. Hussung, Lindsay Orlando, Paul Plumadore, Rachel Sebelist, and Sally Talaga. Their original art, which includes collage, digital drawing, hand-woven textile, paper montage, paintings, and photographs, were digitally reproduced on 11 x 17-foot panels of billboard vinyl and mounted on the side wall of Top Notch Industries at the south end of Main Street. The panels will be on display for a full year.

Details about the many area businesses and individuals who have donated to make The Great Wall of Honesdale possible are available on the website www.thegreatwallofhonesdale.com. The Wayne County Arts Alliance wants to thank their Patrons and Sponsors, including the Honesdale Area Jaycees, who have again sponsored a panel specifically for a student artist. Congratulations to our 2022 student artist Sarah Collins, a senior at Western Wayne High School.

Marguerite Fuller and Phyllis Chekenian, the new directors of The Great Wall of Honesdale, would like to thank past directors Paul Plumadore and Jim Tindell for their vision and hard work in making this beloved community project a great success. A special thank you goes to Glenn Khoury with Encore Outdoor Advertising, as well.

The Great Wall of Honesdale is a project of the Wayne County Arts Alliance and supported by local businesses who are credited on the website. It is estimated that 100,000 vehicles per week pass and view The Wall. Also on the website, view images from our previous six editions – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The Great Wall of Honesdale’s accompanying exhibit “Off the Wall” is free and open to the public, located at The Bodhi Tree Gallery & Studios, 214 6th Street, Suite B in Honesdale, PA. The exhibit opened on June 4. It runs until July 1, 2022. Open gallery hours are Tuesdays 6:30- 8:30 PM, Fridays 5-7 PM, and Saturdays 3-7 PM, or by appointment.

CLIP 1 -The Making of the Clothes

CLIP 2 – Full Fashion Show

Western Wayne Fashion students were thrilled to return to the Western Wayne stage this year for their annual Catwalk Fashion Show. They were unable to host their show in 2020 and produced a successful fashion show video in 2021. This year the students held their annual show titled “Rhythm is Fashion” for an audience of their peers by hosting the high school student body along with some select family and friends of senior fashion students on May 20.
Students in grades 9 through 12 had their pieces featured in the show. The students also worked in two teams led by senior fashion students Rylee Sheehan and Kathy Shepherd. The feature fashions of the Catwalk came from an inspiration of “A few of my favorite things,” flowers, diamonds, mansions, and fine dining.
The students worked on a set timeline to design a series of pieces for the competition portion of the show. Their ensembles were judged by members of the Western Wayne District Office, former Western Wayne Fashion Student Alumni, and a few select members of the student body. Both teams did an amazing job. The FABilicious team led by senior Kathy Shepherd ended up as this year’s winner.
Colleen Carmody, show director and fashion teacher, was so proud of both of her senior students who had their collections featured in the show.
Senior Rylee Sheehan’s collection had the theme street wear in New York City. The name of her collection is She.
“I felt inspired to name my collection in reference to New York City, because I will be attending PACE University in New York City this fall to study business management,” she explained.
“I have always dreamed of managing my own boutique one day.”
One of Rylee’s favorite pieces in the show is an accordion pleated skirt she made.
“It was a process,” Rylee said. “I had to figure out its dimensions mathematically.”
Fellow senior Kathy Shepherd also enjoyed the challenge of creating her collection for the fashion show.
Her collection had the theme Swooshion. Kathy wanted to incorporate her love of basketball and fashion together in her designs.
“I designed pieces that could capture the kind of fashion that WNBA players would wear before a game,” she explained.
Kathy also designed an accordion skirt that she was proud of for her collection that incorporated a variety of dressy, yet casual, pieces perfect for athletes to wear.
Kathy plans to attend King’s College in the fall to become a physician’s assistant.
“I love wearing fashionable things and being comfortable at the same time,” she explained.
Carmody and her students felt so grateful to be able to have their show for a live audience again this year and look forward to creating more designs to share with the Western Wayne community in the future.