R.D. Wilson and Middle School Host Benjamin Franklin Assembly

Western Wayne elementary and middle school students were treated to an educational and extremely entertaining presentation about and “given by” Benjamin Franklin himself on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Elementary students at R.D. Wilson were treated to the presentation in the morning while students in the middle school enjoyed it in the afternoon in the newly renovated and recently dedicated Western Wayne Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The Wayne County Community Foundation made this presentation possible through a grant.

The Foundation has many programs and seeks proposals from organizations to secure grants that are meant to support efforts to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Wayne County. A variety of programs received almost $ 40,000 from the foundation grants that were awarded in the last fiscal year.

In 1997 the Estate of Benjamin Franklin awarded $ 20,000 to the Wayne County Community Foundation. The amazing vision of Mr. Franklin in realizing community organizations would exist more than 200 years after his passing, exhibits the man’s extraordinary vision.

The members of the Wayne County Community Foundation were glad students in Western Wayne’s R. D. Wilson Elementary School and the Western Wayne Middle School could experience a presentation about the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin performed by professional actor Brian Patrick Mulligan.

Mulligan has been performing as Benjamin Franklin for over 25 years and his vast experience has proven to be an inspiration to all who have had the opportunity to witness his presentations. He has an extensive repertoire of events and many characters that he portrays.

Mulligan entertained and educated the students dressed in a period appropriate costume. The program was very interactive with Mulligan discussing many historical facts from Franklin’s life. A number of students had the opportunity to act out scenes to help the group learn about this rich history. There was a scene about the functioning of the printing press and another about kite flying among others.

The Western Wayne School District is very grateful to The Wayne County Community Foundation for providing their students with this educational opportunity. The Foundation also provided this same program to students from the Wayne Highlands School District, Forest City Regional School District, Wallenpaupack School District, and Canaan Christian Academy.

From left: Mr. Josh Rowe, middle school teacher; Benjamin Franklin played by Mulligan; and Josh Mahnke, 8^th grade, who got to play a role in one of the skits from the presentation

RDW and EverGreen Elementary Schools Celebrate Apple Crunch Day

On October 24 the elementary schools celebrated Apple Crunch Day in their classrooms and were served apple crisp and apple slices for lunch. This is a nation wide event that encourages healthy eating habits. It’s an opportunity for teachers to teach their students how to use apples and other fruits to make fun and nutritious snacks. Teachers incorporated this day into their lessons and even used apples to create science experiments! Learning and healthy eating is beneficial and fun! If you want to make some apple snacks at home, just google, “Healthy snacks kids can make” and enjoy!

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RDW Kindness Club Receives Donation

The Kindness Club at R.D. Wilson Elementary is up and running again for the fourth consecutive year. The club, which was starting as part of Rachael’s Challenge, includes a rotation of fifth grade students who develop projects to spread kindness in the school and community. Last year’s students decided to post kind messages on the new electronic sign at the school’s entrance. A community member saw the sign and called the school to ask about the club. Ms. Booth, the club’s advisor, gave examples of the projects that students had developed over the past few years. The community member (who wishes to remain anonymous) was so inspired that she offered to donate $100 to the cause.

Students (Grace Langendoerfer, Zoe Albitz, Mason Rush, Samantha Linn, Annaliese Dickison, and Madison Weist) will use the funds to buy art supplies, props, and other small necessities to carry out their wonderful projects. Thank you again to our generous donor!

Junior Evan Coons Does Exceptional Work at RDW

The Western Wayne School District requires students to complete a meaningful senior project that in some way enables them to give back to others. Evan Coons is an 11^th grade student and he completed his senior project with the Early Intervention program this past summer at Western Wayne’s Robert D. Wilson Elementary School. Evan was an Early Intervention student in Mrs. Michelle Mistishin’s classroom at RDW when he was three years old. Evan wanted to do his senior project with EI as he wanted others to know that EI gave him the school readiness skills to be a successful student at Western Wayne. Over the summer, Evan volunteered in the RDW EI classroom where he was a part of the teaching process for eight young students, ages 3-5. Evan was instrumental by working on IEP goals and social skills through play, games, and other preschool activities. As part of his senior project and the act of “giving back” he raised $710 (through a fundraiser at his church) for EI to purchase books for all EI students (EI works with Western Wayne School District, Wallenpaupack Area School District, and Wayne Highlands School District). EI was able to purchase 720 books with the money Evan raised. From left: Evan Coons, Michelle Mistishin, EI teacher; Beth Gregory, EI supervisor; and Patricia Jennings, EI service coordinator.

Robert D. Wilson Elementary – Flag Assembly

Second Graders from Mrs.Curtis’s class at RDW received grant money from the Wayne County Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee. The committee funds student projects at local schools. The money was used to purchase new classroom flags for the entire building, replacing those which were in use since RDW first opened. The students hosted a school assembly and invited local American Legion veterans to assist in collecting the old flags for proper disposal. Mr. John Gaudenzi, local veteran and former RDW teacher, instructed the student body in flag history and etiquette. New flags now proudly hang in all RDW classrooms.

RDW Special Olympic Send Off

On May 10th, students from the Western Wayne School District went to Delaware Valley High School stadium to compete in the 11th Annual Track and Field Area P Special Olympics. Before they left, they were sent off with a grand parade with the help of their fellow classmates at RDW. They then competed in running events, such as the 100M dash, the 400M dash, and the mile run. They also competed in high jump, long jump, shot put, and softball throw. Our athletes brought home few gold medals and many silver and bronze. It was truly an incredible day for all! Click on any picture to enlarge. View the special Olympic gallery at https://ww3.westernwayne.org/western-wayne-special-olympics/

RDW Kindness Club once again inspired kindness in others

Students in the RDW Kindness Club once again inspired kindness in others. Allie Pauler, Cianna Tyler, Carter Mistishin, Jacob Schott, Sean Bosshard, and Emily Dickson developed a scavenger hunt for first graders. Students were broken into small groups and had to find colored cards hidden throughout the building. On the cards were kindness-related words: generous, thoughtful, compliments, helpful, and caring. Once a card was discovered, students in the Kindness Club led a discussion about the meaning of the word and examples of how first graders could show this behavior. “They really enjoyed it” said Ashley Kromko, first grade teacher. “We plan to incorporate these words into our writing vocabulary.”

Western Wayne Wears Pink and Blue for Jude

In support of the Jude Zayac foundation, students, staff and administrators wore pink and blue on Friday, March 24, 2017. The foundation strives to promote awareness of SIDS.

From left: Mr. Justin Pidgeon, Principal Evergreen Elementary, Ms. Elizabeth Watson, Assistant Principal Middle School, Julien Walck, Gabrielle Tetreault, Rachel Hoch, Samantha Killian, Adam Silfies, Mrs. Kristen Donohue, Principal Middle School, Dr. Katie Shemanski, Secondary School Psychologist, and Ms. Jennifer Robinson, Assistant Director of Instructional Services

RDW Kindness Club Inspires Community

Students in the RDW Kindness Club got straight to work planning another project. This time, their club advisor, Ms. Booth, challenged them to come up with something that would expand into the community. The students decided on a very simple but meaningful way to do so. A new message can be found on the RDW electronic sign: “One kind word can warm three winter months”. This will be just one of many kind/inspirational quotes that will become part of the announcement rotation. In photo from left to right: Allie Pauler, Cianna Tyler, Jacob Schott, Sean Bosshard, Carter Mistishin, and Emily Dickson.

RDW Kindness Club are busy spreading kindness!

Students in the RDW Kindness Club are busy spreading kindness! A new group of students recently joined (Sean Bosshard, Emily Dickson, Carter Mistishin, Allie Pauler, and Cianna Tyler) and got right to work with a new project. They wrote inspirational messages on post-it notes and secretly put them on the lockers of fourth grade students while they were away at recess. They left a note for fourth grade encouraging them to do something kind for third grade, who in turn will do something kind for second grade and so on. Carter Mistishin noted: “We want this to reach all students and make the younger students feel like there is someone encouraging them.”