Robert D. Wilson School Counselor, Erica Booth, was honored at the School Counselor Annual Conference hosted by the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association held at The Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on November 29. She was selected as Pennsylvania School Counselor of the Year, the equivalent of Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
Erica is in her sixth year at the Western Wayne School District, all of which were served at Robert D. Wilson Elementary. The PSCA SCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR (SCOY) AWARDS honor professional school counselors who have made significant contributions to their students and/or school districts through the development and implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs that are based on the ASCA National Model. Western Wayne Administration and staff are extremely proud of Erica’s great accomplishments in their district which have led her to receiving this honor.
The following Western Wayne arts students were recognized this fall as artists of the month. From left, top row: September: Dayla Jones, “Bi-Polar Leopard” mixed media; September: Melody Gershey, “Southward Bound” oil. From left, middle row: October: Abby Burke, “The Other Abby” colored pencil; October: Teree Hopson, “Me, Myself, & I” colored pencil. From left, bottom row: November: Anya Wayda, “Primary Girl” chalk pastel; and November: Sarah Gerstenmaier, “Finny” ceramics.
10th & 11th Grade students who took the PSATs in October, can now view their scores on-line through their Collegeboard account. Students are being given a hard copy of their scores today at lunches.
Below are two videos to help students and parents navigate through the process.
Accessing Your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report
Understanding Your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report Video Guide
The December Edition of Scholarships & Career Opportunities is now available. Click on the link to see all that is going on with Colleges, Careers, SATs, Scholarships & much more.
Western Wayne’s Robert D. Wilson Elementary School hosted a special event the week of November 27. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab came to the school for students pre-kindergarten to fifth grade to enjoy.
The opportunity was afforded to the students through funding provided by the Wayne County Farm Bureau, a Soybean Council Grant and Robert D. Wilson PTA.
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab creates an opportunity for students to learn about agriculture (Pennsylvania’s number one industry) in a fun and hands-on-way.
“With fewer children having a tie to farming, we created the Ag Lab program to help teachers educate more students about the importance of agriculture,” said PF President Rick Ebert.
Students enter the lab to perform science experiments that teach lessons focused on farm, food, fiber and the environment. Mobile Lab visits to schools are coordinated with the preparation of teachers and their classes for the science experiments. A certified teacher travels with the lab to lead each class in the science experiments. The lab is equipped with all the materials and supplies needed for the experiments.
Examples of the experiments that are taught in the lab include: germinating seed under different conditions, creating crayons from soybeans, and testing the water capacity of different soils. A Mobile Lab can educate up to 900 students and involve up to 30 teachers per week.
At R.D., first grade participated in an experiment called Popcorn Capers. Students engaged in conversation with Paula Brennan, Mobile Ag Lab Teacher, and enjoyed a story about corn, how it grows, where it grows, and its many uses. Students then completed a sink and float activity including a corn kernel and a popped kernel of corn along with a variety of other common objects with varying degrees of air (rice crispies, cheese ball, raisins to name a few).
In addition, Kindergarten participated in an experiment called Farm Charm where prompted by conversation, the students and teacher built a farm and made connections between the various components of a farm. Student made a Farm Charm to wear which symbolized all the components of a farm (sun, water, cows, pigs, chickens, soil and more).
All of the Western Wayne Elementary students and staff greatly enjoyed their experiences with the Mobile Lab and hope to have more of these unique educational experiences in the future.
Veteran Harry Howard Howell shakes hands with Western Wayne School Board member Bill Gershey when receiving his diploma at the Veterans Day Assembly. From left: Bernice Fiorella, school board president, and Ellen Faliskie, assistant superintendent, also joined Howell on stage for this special moment.
[evigallery view=”gallery” id=”10175″]
As a tradition for many years, Western Wayne administration, faculty, staff, and students joined together on Thursday, November 9 to celebrate veterans in the community with a special in-school event that featured music from the high school band and chorus, wise words from a veteran guest speaker, and this year the event had the added component of a special presentation of a high school diploma to a former student that was 50 years in the making.
Mr. Harry Howard Howell, a Navy Seaman from 1964 through 1971, attended the Lake Consolidated School before enlisting. He would have received his diploma in 1966 but life had other plans. Howell went on to earn his GED at sea in 1967.
He grew up in Wayne County and returned to the area after his time in the military. He was honorably discharged in 1971 and returned to the area during a time when Lake, Hamlin, and Waymart were in the process of consolidating to Western Wayne.
He and his wife Jean raised a family in the Western Wayne School District. The couple has three children Bonnie Howell, Jamie Howell, and the late John Howell.
Howell explained how he enjoyed sending his children to Western Wayne. He served as a member of the Western Wayne School Board from1989-1997. During his tenure, he held the offices of vice president and treasurer. Howell is an active member of the community. Along with serving on the board, he is a Mason and a huge supporter and friend to the Western Wayne community.
“Anything the district needs- he is there to help and provide,” Ms. Ellen Faliskie, assistant superintendent, said. “His contributions are endless.”
Howell felt thrilled to return to Western Wayne for the special Veterans Day event in which he would receive his diploma.
“I enjoy coming and doing whatever I can for students,” Howell said. “It’s so nice to see good kids,” Howell explained, as he watched Western Wayne Middle school students serve veterans coffee and other refreshments before the event.
One such student serving Howell and the others was Gracie Clark, eighth grader.
“I like to honor them because they protected our country,” Gracie said. “It’s so exciting to greet all of the veterans and to hear about how they served us.”
Fellow student helper Tarena Strasburger feels the same.
“We get to make them feel comfortable here,” Tarena explained. “It’s so fun to see all of them come here and I enjoy getting to help them knowing how much they helped us.”
Howell hopes that students like Gracie and Tarena feel inspired from meeting the veterans and experiencing the Veterans Day program.
“I want the students to know that they need to stay in school and graduate,” Howell said. “I think the service is a great avenue to look at for their education in the future. I know joining the military was good for me in so many ways.”
Howell explained how he came from a family that didn’t have a lot of money and that he looked to the military as a way to better himself.
He credits the military with helping him find a successful path for his life which eventually led him back to the area to raise his family.
Howell hopes that this generation of Western Wayne students take advantage of the great opportunities at the district to help them in their lives.
“Western Wayne teachers are 100 percent behind the kids in getting them a good education,” Howell said. “The teachers here have a big impact on students.”
Howell felt glad to get to experience the Veterans Day Assembly alongside other veterans and Western Wayne teachers.
One such Western Wayne staff member and veteran who served as the main speaker at the event was Mr. Robert Black, athletic director.
Black like Howell believes that students have a lot to gain from their experience in middle and high school. He explained that he was born and raised in Wayne County and attended school at Western Wayne where he was involved in a variety of activities such as athletics, band, drama, and the school paper before he enlisted with the Marine Corps.
“Become a part of this community,” Black told students. “You will gain great experience from it.”
Black explained that his time both inside and outside of the classroom better prepared him for life experiences later in boot camp and beyond.
“Change is a part of life,” Black explained. “But if you prepare now you’ll be ready for whatever happens”
Black further discussed that he learned a lot in his time in the Marine Corps about not fearing failure and seeking self- improvement. He asked the students to think about these values now and to always honor veterans in their daily lives.
“For me, if you want to honor the veterans and honor this country you need to value the things this country provides like tolerance. Live the life that America provides and you will honor all veterans,” Black said.
Those in attendance at the Western Wayne Veterans Day program were also treated to patriotic musical selections from the high school band and chorus along with a video presentation about the history of Veterans Day put together by Western Wayne history teacher and Iraq war veteran Shane Grodack.
All present enjoyed the special day for veterans at Western Wayne. Howell was very pleased after receiving his diploma from Faliskie, Mrs. Bernice Fiorella, school board president, and Mr. Bill Gershey, school board member. Howell hopes some students in attendance feel the same calling he did to join the military and serve this great nation.
“There’s nothing better than going into the service,” Howell said.
Carter was nominated by his coaches and the board of the Western Wayne Little League Association to receive the Freach Keen Award. The Freach Keen Award is a district award in memory of P.J. Freach and Buddy Keen, who died in 1973. The award is given to one 12 year old baseball player in every league in District 17 and 32. The recipient of the award is chosen by the individual league because of their dedication, sportsmanship and performance throughout their little league career. Each nominee was asked to attend a meeting and write an essay on an undisclosed topic. Then the essays were judged and a winner was selected from all of the entries. Carter’s essay was chosen as the winning essay. He was the recipient of a plaque and a $500.00 scholarship.
On Wednesday, November 7th, the Western Wayne High School Guidance Department held a College Fair for students in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. Students were able to visit with different colleges/universities and speak with representatives from each school.
Schools in attendance were the following:
Clarks Summit University, East Stroudsburg University, Johnson College, Keystone College, King’s College, Kutztown University, Lackawanna College, Lock Haven University, Marywood University, Misericordia University, Moravian College, Penn State University – Scranton, University of Scranton, Wilkes University, and Wilson College.
The Marines and National Guard were also in attendance.
Also attending were EOC (Education Opportunity Center) and Wayne/Pike Workforce Alliance.
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.