Featured News

Stock Market Challenge – Western Wayne Leads the Way




Honesdale – The fourth week’s rankings of the Wayne and Pike County Stock Market Challenge is in with Western Wayne High School, under the leadership of Thomas Lodini, leading the way. Stephen Kim from Delaware Valley School District is leading in the Middle School Division. The best student per school wins $25 in each division with all participating schools. The schools invited to participate are Canaan Christian Academy, Carbondale Area, Delaware Valley, Forest City Regional, Wallenpaupack Area, Wayne Highlands and Western Wayne High Schools. Additionally, the top-ranking students compete for $480 in a total prize package for Wayne and Pike County with additional prizes for state winners in the division and the overall program.
The Dime Bank supports local schools in the sponsorship of the Wayne and Pike County Stock Market Challenge from the Pennsylvania Council of Financial Literacy (PennCFL). This program is co-sponsored by The Wayne Independent, Carbondale News, and The News Eagle newspapers. These students represent their schools in a special local and competitive investment competition. A celebratory luncheon will be held at the Boiler Room in Hawley, PA on May 10th to honor the schools, teachers, and their students.
PennCFL’s mission is to provide Pennsylvania’s K-12 students with economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship skills that elevate their standard of living, quality of life, and professional success. For additional information, please contact Carolyn Shirk, Vice President at carolyn.penncfl@gmail.com or call 570-975-5149.

Western Wayne Pride – ENS Lucas Karnick graduates from the Naval Nuclear Power Training

ENS Lucas Karnick, a 2013 graduate of Western Wayne High School, and a 2017 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recently graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, SC. During his time at Western Wayne he was a four year varsity member of the wrestling, soccer, and baseball teams as well as a member of FBLA, NHS, and SADD. Next, Lucas will be heading to Bangor, WA as a submarine officer aboard the USS Kentucky. Lucas is the son of Dan and Ann Marie Karnick of Waymart.

Western Wayne Students Participate in Middle Grades Festival

Select Western Wayne Middle School students participated in the 2019 Middle Grades Music & Art Festival held on Friday, March 1, at the Wayne Highlands School District.  Some students had art work on display and others participated by singing or playing musical instruments in a concert held that evening.

          Students from a number of area schools participated.  Some of the pieces performed by the band students included:  music from West Side Story, “West Side Blues,” and “Jupiter”.  Some of the pieces performed by the chorus included:  music from The Greatest Showman, “Praise His Holy Name,” and “Stars I Shall Find.”

Many of the students from Western Wayne greatly enjoyed the experience of working with different students who share their same interest in the arts. 

Eighth grader Evan Peirce, who participated with the band, said he had the most fun learning about a new instrument.  Evan plays the tenor saxophone and met a student from Wallenpaupack who plays the baritone saxophone.

“I really want to play the baritone saxophone in the high school band,” Evan said.  “The student I met showed me some ways to play and it was really fun.”

Evan’s fellow band classmate Ashley Small Bermudez said she also enjoyed learning from the students in her section at Middle Grades.  Ashley plays the mallets.

“A lot of the kids in my section showed different techniques and were helping each other to play.”

The same musical camaraderie was a special part of the Middle Grades experience for students that participated in the chorus as well.

Eighth grader Kylie Merring, a soprano, said the most meaningful part of the experience was her interactions with other vocal performance students.

“It was great to be able to interact with other kids, to hear them sing, and to take notes off of how they do it.”

All of the Western Wayne students in attendance also thought one of the best parts of the festival was the positive and encouraging atmosphere that the directors created at the event.

“Even when we were corrected, we were still told we were doing well,” eighth grade trombone player Elizabeth Wasylyk said.

In the end, all of the students who participated in Middle Grades were thrilled with the outcome.

“At the start of our rehearsals everything wasn’t set to go, but by the time we got on stage for the show we could see a really big change,” tenor Adam Kellogg explained.

Many of the students from Western Wayne who participated at Middle Grades plan to continue their study of the arts in high school whether it be in visual art classes, chorus class, the musical theater program, or in band.

Eighth graders Jake Larsen, Evan Peirce, and Elizabeth Wasylyk think their experience at Middle Grades along with their experiences in middle school band classes are better preparing them to be a part of Western Wayne’s prestigious marching band.

“Experience at events like Middle Grades are better preparing me for upcoming performances at Friday night games,” Elizabeth explained.

National School Breakfast Week

National School Breakfast week is March 4 – 8, 2019. We will be celebrating with a special daily menu theme. Also, on Wednesday, March 6th, we will have a “Golden Ticket Day.” A Golden Ticket will be placed randomly in 2 grab and go bags at each school. Students that receive a golden ticket can redeem their prize during lunch.

Please encourage your student to have breakfast daily, whether it be at home or a school breakfast. When students start the day with a healthy meal, they are more likely to retain what they learn in class, behave better and experience better health outcomes. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me at mliptak@westernwayne.org

The lunch menu for the week is as follows:

RDW to Host Annual Read Across America Night

Pictured are Western Wayne Middle and High School students who are cast members in the upcoming spring production of Annie.  They will perform excerpts of the show on Thursday, Feb. 28, at RDW Elementary School as a part of Read Across America Night.  Event admission is free.  Seated on floor: Amanda David, who plays Annie.  From left, second row: Sydney Peet, who plays Miss Hannigan; R.J. Clemens, who plays Daddy Warbucks; Lily Visceglia, who plays Lily St. Regis; and John Nichols, who plays Rooster.

Members of the community who come out to enjoy the annual Read Across America Night at Western Wayne’s RDW Elementary School on Thursday, February 28, will surely leave smiling from ear to ear.  As the character, radio announcer, Bert Healy sings in the musical Annie, “You are never fully dressed without a smile.”

          Western Wayne Middle and High School musical students will perform excerpts from their upcoming spring production of Annie as a part of the entertainment at Read Across America Night. The event will kick-off at 4:45 p.m. and is free to the public. Kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of activities in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. 

          There will also be a Book Fair at the event hosted by the PTA, and attendees can meet The Cat and Hat along with Thing One and Thing Two.

          From 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. guests can tour the RDW building and stop in classrooms to hear stories read by RDW staff and friends.  Starting at 5:30 through 6 p.m., there will be a concession stand open with hot dogs, drinks, and snacks for sale. 

Then at 6 p.m., Annie cast members will perform.  Eighth grade student Amanda David who plays the title role will sing “Tomorrow.”  R.J. Clemens, who plays Daddy Warbucks will sing the ballad “Something was Missing.”  Amanda and R.J. will perform the upbeat “I Don’t Need Anything But You.”

 Other numbers to be sung include “Easy Street” by Lily Visceglia, who plays the flashy Lily St. Regis; Sydney Peet, who plays the notorious Miss Hannigan; and John Nichols, who plays the sly Rooster Hannigan.  In addition, junior Honour Shaffer, who plays Bert Healy, will perform “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” with assistance from the lovely Boylan sisters played by Maddie Kapschull, Rhonda Fenkner, and Anya Burgerhoff.

The students are excited to entertain the audience at RDW on Thursday evening as their debut performance of portions of the show they have been working on since December. 

“This is my fourth year performing at RDW for Dr. Seuss Night,” R.J. Clemens, who is the president of the Drama Club and a five-year musical cast member, said.  “I love going out into the community and sharing what we have been working to create.  I like seeing all of the students in attendance enjoy it.”

Fellow cast mate, sophomore Lily Visceglia, who serves as Drama Club secretary and is a three-year musical cast member, agrees that performing at RDW is an experience that she looks forward to. 

“It’s fun to play different parts each year and to get to meet all of the younger students in attendance,” Lily explained.  “I think that our performance at Seuss Night inspires younger students to want to join the shows in future years.”

The Western Wayne community cordially invites the public to come and enjoy Read Across America Night on Thursday, February 28, at the RDW Elementary School, a free evening of entertainment and events perfect for kids of all ages.

The public can also look forward to the upcoming Annie Character Breakfast on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m. in the High School cafeteria.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids and senior citizens. 

In addition, you can also mark your calendar with the dates for our performances of Annie at Western Wayne High School’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m.  Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and Western Wayne students are free with a student ID.

Western Wayne Pre-Kindergarten Registration

Registration for Western Wayne’s Pre-Kindergarten Program will be held on the week of March 25, 2019.

Pre-kindergarten enrollment is restricted to children who will be four (4) years of age on or before the first day of school of the year of their enrollment.                

For additional information or to schedule an appointment to register your child, please call 1-800-321-9973:

EverGreen Elementary (Lake, Salem, Sterling Townships), Press Option #3

Robert D. Wilson School (Canaan, Clinton, South Canaan Townships & Waymart Borough), Press Option #4

National School Counseling Week


National School Counseling Week 2019, “School Counselors: Providing Lessons for Life,” is celebrated from Feb. 4-8, 2019, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February.