A group of ninth-grade students from Western Wayne High School earned a prestigious Honorable Mention in PPL Electric Utilities’ THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge—a competition that challenged students to create interactive presentations on energy conservation, natural resources, and environmental issues.
Aidyn Graci and Mitchell Ferraro, students in Dr. Mark Nebzydoski’s General Science class, took home the Honorable Mention award for their creative and engaging video on energy efficiency. Their project, which can be viewed on the Western Wayne website, used humor and storytelling to highlight the importance of saving energy. Throughout the video, the students repeatedly urged their teacher with the catchphrase, “Come on, Mr. Nebz!”, reminding him to be mindful of energy consumption in the classroom. https://youtu.be/EDmCGFHw4Lk
“I really enjoyed making the video and getting to boss Mr. Nebz around a little!” said Mitchell Ferraro, who aspires to become a social studies teacher. Fellow creator Aidyn Graci, who hopes to pursue a career in business, added, “It was a relief to see our hard work pay off.”
As part of the competition, Dr. Nebzydoski registered all Western Wayne students for free energy conservation kits, which included compact fluorescent light bulbs, a smart energy power strip, a shower timer, a faucet aerator, and a water-saving showerhead. Students installed the devices in their homes and measured their energy savings—applying science in a real-world, hands-on way.
“The creativity and enthusiasm in these projects were incredible,” said Dr. Nebzydoski. “Seeing students learn about energy efficiency and apply it to their daily lives is exactly what education should be about. These high school students are tomorrow’s homeowners, so reinforcing energy conservation now is essential.”
For their outstanding work, Aidyn and Mitchell were each awarded Beats wireless earbuds, and Dr. Nebzydoski received $250 for classroom supplies.
PPL Electric Utilities, in partnership with the National Energy Foundation (NEF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), sponsors the THINK! ENERGY program to promote energy education among students. This initiative provides free resources to help young people develop a deeper understanding of energy conservation and efficiency.
For more information on the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge, visit THINK! ENERGY. https://thinkenergy.org/ppl-innovation/teachers/
Caption: (LtoR) Mike Touey, PPL Electricity; Paul Gregorski, High School Principal; Aidyn Graci, Student; Mitchell Ferraro, Student; and Dr. Mark Nebzydoski, Science Teacher.

The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for March. Their teachers and administrators weighed in on the decisions. All of the students chosen hold a high standard of academic and personal excellence. They are true examples of the P.R.I.D.E. standards for PBIS at our school.
First, Archer Long is our selected freshman. Archer is an all-around excellent student who is also a triple-sport athlete who plays baseball, football, and basketball. He particularly enjoys his math class and aspires to work in the engineering field. He is most interested in environmental engineering. “I love to spend time outside,” Archer said. “Some of my favorite hobbies are hunting and fishing.”
Next, Raegan Fox is our chosen sophomore this month. Raegan is an extremely excellent academic student who tries her best in all things. She is involved in the following sports, clubs, and school activities: Student Council, PJAS, CATS Club, Envirothon, Science Olympiad, Volleyball, and Unified Bocce. Raegan is also an honor roll student and member of National Honor Society.
Her favorite class is English. She particularly enjoyed a project this year where she got to write about Woodstock, because she also enjoys history and music.
“I really enjoy creative projects and think they can help me prepare for my future college studies,” Raegan said.
Raegan plans to go to medical school and become a dermatologist.
In addition, Vincent Baldini is this month’s featured junior. He is another triple sport athlete who participates in football, baseball, and track and field. In addition, he is involved in Student Council, FBLA, and Prom Committee. Also, he is a member of the National Honor Society. He likes his physics class best this year and aspires to study sports management in college to become an athletic director.
“I think that all of the teamwork skills I am learning in my sports experiences at Western Wayne are preparing me for my future career path,” he said.
Finally, Elizabeth Washine is our senior spotlight this month. Elizabeth is an exceptional academic student and a published author. In school, she holds a variety of leadership positions in her activities. She is captain of both the football and basketball cheerleading teams. In addition, she serves as chief editor for three different school organizations which include: the literary magazine, newspaper, and local history club. Her other activities include: Student Council, CATS Club, secretary; National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, treasurer; and yearbook.
After graduation, she will attend Duquesne University to study secondary education English and creative writing.
“I love kids and want to inspire them,” she said about her future career choice.
She also has published two poetry books which are available for purchase on Amazon under her pen name Elizabeth Witt. The books are titled Directions from a Broken Heart and i think they call this love.
The Western Wayne School District congratulates these March students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.

From left: Archer Long, Raegan Fox, Mr. Paul B. Gregorski, high school principal; Vincent Baldini, and Elizabeth Washine.

Western Wayne Drama Club’s production this year is Mamma Mia!  The cast, crew, and pit band are excited to perform the show for the community. Performances of Western Wayne Drama Club’s Mamma Mia! are at Western Wayne High School’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Friday, April 4, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 5 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 6 at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and Western Wayne students are free with a student ID.  Follow us on instagram at @WW_DRAMA_CLUB

This year we will have pre-sale reserve seating tickets available for purchase at the high school auditorium doors on Saturday, March 22, and Saturday, March 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. on both days.  All ticket sales will be final.  Tickets are also available at the door.  There will be no internet ticket sales. We will also have basket raffles and refreshments available at the show for purchase.

Mamma Mia! is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).  All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.com 

Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and some songs by Stig Anderson.  Book by Catherine Johnson.  Originally conceived by Judy Craymer.

All involved with the show are grateful to have the opportunity to perform for an audience and cordially invite you to their show.

“We have been working on some of the scenes since December and can’t wait to bring this fan-favorite story to life,” senior Drama Club President Lillian Maros, who plays Donna Sheridan, and serves as a student director, said.  

Fellow senior Robert Scramuzza, who plays Bill Austin, and serves as a student director, agrees, “There are so many scenes that I think the audience will connect with, because they know the Mamma Mia characters so well.”  

Picture One, from left, standing:  Dakota Douglas, Emma DeNunzio, Colette Schmitt, Zachary Wilbur, Jason Vass, Zachary Jordan, Johnathon Maxwell, and Dominic Sgarlata.  From left, sitting, left side, back row:  Lylah Bucksbee and Molly French.  From left, sitting, left side, front row:  Stephanie Maxwell, Jade Wetherington, and Lillian Maros.  From left, sitting, row three, right side:  Avery Ullner and Hannah Dockemeyer.  From left, sitting, row two, right side:  Mikayla Fullone and Madison Forgione.  From left, sitting, row one, right side:  Owen Obloshny, Robert Scramuzza, and Scott Kurent.

Picture Two, from left:  Emma DeNunzio, who plays Ali; Colette Schmitt, who plays Sophie Sheridan; and Dakota Douglas, who plays Lisa.

Picture Three, from left: Zachary Jordan, who plays Pepper; Johnathon Maxwell, who plays Eddie; and Jason Vass, who plays Sky.

Picture Four, from left: Lillian Maros, who plays Donna Sheridan; Robert Scramuzza, who plays Bill Austin; Owen Obloshny, who plays Sam Carmichael; and Scott Kurent, who plays Harry Bright.

Picture Five, from left:  Jade Wetherington, who plays Tanya Cresham-Leigh; Lillian Maros, who plays Donna Sheridan; and Stephanie Maxwell, who plays Rosie Mulligan.

Picture Six, from left, standing:  Mikayla Fullone, Stephanie French, Stephanie Maxwell, Lillian Maros, Jade Wetherington, Emma Denunzio, Colette Schmitt, and Dakota Douglas. From left, sitting:  Lylah Bucksbee, Madison Forgione, Avery Ullner, and Hannah Dockemeyer.

Picture Seven, from left:  Robert Scramuzza and Colette Schmitt.

Picture eight, from left:  Owen Obloshny, Colette Schmitt, and Scott Kurent.

Picture nine, from left: Stephanie Maxwell and Robert Scramuzza.

Picture Ten, from left: Colette Schmitt and Lillian Maros.

Other cast members include:  Elizabeth Bilski, Hayley Cordero, Audrey Fitzmorris, Ayvari Ford-Hetzel, Chloe Jewett, Sophia Johns, Jesse Mitchell, Ruthann Neve, Charlotte Nutt, Laila Rainford, Allen Ratchford, Olivia Swingle, Samantha Torres-Narvaez, and Britney Wertman.

Stage Crew members include:  Luckus Balmer, Aubrey Bell, Audrey Capozzi, Lennox Carpenter, Claire Cowley, Braelyn Davis, Nathan Day, Sonora Dockemeyer, Adam Erb, Xavier Graham, Rosy Knecht, Kayelin Martin, Kendall Murray, Mercedes Pedersen, Lola Vertalics, Kaitlin Wargo, Mackenzie Warnock, Reyna Weaver, Kallie Wehrmann, and Nicholas Wilbur.

Student Pit Band members include:  Travis Locker, Anthony Redmond, Noah Sandifer, and Gavin Zeiler.

The robotics team FRC 4285 Camobots (composed of Honesdale HS and Western Wayne HS students) competed at the Hatboro-Horsham District Event and placed 8th. We are very proud of the performance for the team took on a tough engineering challenge of designing, building, testing, and competing in 6 weeks a 140lb robot to autonomously and human driven the task to pick up and place a 12” long piece of Sch40 4” pvc and 16” diameter rubber ball in specific locations. The team chose to design, build, and compete utilizing a 3 piece telescoping crane arm with manipulator, this took all of their time up and had minimal drive and interaction time with the robot prior to the event. The team learned, adapted, problem-solved, presented to CEO’s and engineers of major companies, and persevered to compete in the playoff round and place 8th. Congratulations to the robotics and engineering members.

Western Wayne team members are: Ethan Gillott, Grace Owens, Kyle Matthews, Aiden Matthews, Paul Borowski, Logan Pauler, Liam Pauler, Jake Obloshny, and Alexis Bartels.

Pictures are from the Hatboro-Horsham District Event.

Local Students Explore Real-World Environmental Solutions

Students from several local schools are participating in an educational program focused on environmental science and collaboration throughout the 2024-25 school year.

Each school has a team of five students and a teacher-advisor. The program includes hands-on field trips and investigations, allowing students to explore real-world environmental issues.

Participating Schools

Lackawanna County: Carbondale, Forest City, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mountain View, Old Forge, Riverside, Western Wayne, and Wayne Highlands.

Luzerne County: Crestwood, Hanover, HAAS, HACC, Hazleton, Northwest, Tunkhannock, and Wyoming Area.

Western Wayne High School students have already taken part in trips to Lackawanna State Park, Keystone College, the Old Forge borehole, and the Alliance Landfill. These experiences helped them learn about healthy watersheds, how to monitor their conditions, and ways to maintain water quality. The program is supported by Pennsylvania American Water Company, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and DCNR’s Watershed Education Program.

March Field Trip: Water Treatment in Action

In March, students visited Pennsylvania American Water’s Lake Scranton Water Treatment Plant and its Sewage Treatment Plant.

At the Lake Scranton Water Treatment Facility, Sr. Superintendent Daniel Baratta led a tour, explaining how the system provides clean drinking water to about 160,000 people in 14 communities. The facility draws water from Lake Scranton and other reservoirs, processing an average of 19.5 million gallons daily.

Students also toured the sewage treatment plant, where they learned how wastewater is treated before being safely returned to the Lackawanna River.

Looking Ahead

The program will conclude on May 6, 2025, with a student presentation banquet at Montage Mountain. Western Wayne students will showcase their project: planning an ecology-based field trip for fourth graders at the Varden Conservation Area. Inspired by their own experiences, they designed activities to teach younger students about the environment in a fun and engaging way.

Through these hands-on experiences, students are gaining valuable knowledge about environmental conservation while working together to find real-world solutions.

“I really enjoy learning about the science field through these hands-on real-world experiences,” Western Wayne sophomore Dakota Douglas said.

Picture One, from left :  Dakota Douglas,  Giuliana Velazquez, Aliyah Gregory, Kyleigh Turner, and Jerrah-Ann DeBree.

Picture Two, from left :  Kyleigh Turner, , Jerrah-Ann DeBree, Dakota Douglas,  Aliyah Gregory, Giuliana Velazquez, and Water Treatment Facility, Sr. Superintendent Daniel Baratta.

The Hamlin Lake Ariel Rotary Club recently had their Rotary District 7410 Essay Contest giving students the prompt: Rotary’s Four Way Test, which guides all Rotary projects, including this question: “Is it fair to all concerned?”. Students were asked to write about the statement, “we use empathy to see other points of view, in the context of problems to be solved.” How can we use teamwork, inclusion, empathy, acceptance, belonging, and accountability to solve problems or achieve goals we set?

Rotary District 7410 offers this Essay Contest as an incentive for young people to develop their skills of self-expression, and as evidence of a sincere desire to demonstrate service above self, which is Rotary’s consistent motto.

Western Wayne High School students placed in the competition. Mercedes Pedersen, senior, took first place; Kennedy Scott, senior, placed second; and Anthony Redmond, senior, placed third. 

Mercedes along with writing is involved in a variety of activities at Western Wayne including: color guard, stage crew, and Spanish Club. She is also the president of Western Wayne’s Chapter of the National Honor Society. She plans to study veterinary medicine with an emphasis on exotic and domestic animals.

Mercedes discussed how she focussed on how a problem can be solved using the pillars named by the Rotary Club.

“I discussed how the different aspects work together when solving a problem,” she said. “This was a rich topic, and I was able to get four pages out of it.”  

Her work earned her a club-level first prize of 100 dollars in the contest, and she is excited to see her essay move on the district level where she will be in competition to win a 1,000 dollar prize for her excellent writing.

The second prize winner was Kennedy Scott.  Her essay focussed on solving conflict through the use of the Rotary pillars.  

Kennedy feels she will use the strong pillar qualities in her daily life more than ever next year when she takes on the unique opportunity of doing a gap year abroad through Colorado State University.  She will earn twelve credits and get to travel the world going to destinations such as France, Spain, the Netherlands, Ghana, Japan, Thailand, and many other locations.  She first learned of this academic opportunity through TikTok in her sophomore year, and she chose to pursue it and gained acceptance into the program.  She will study media marketing at Colorado State University and aspires to do promotions for businesses after she graduates.

Finally our third prize winner is Anthony Redmond. He is a four year member of the Western Wayne High School Marching Band serving as the percussion section leader for two years.  He also participated in Pep Band and Pit Band.  He wishes to pursue a degree in music education to be a high school band director. Anthony focussed on the aspects of teamwork, inclusion, empathy, acceptance, and accountability in his essay all of which he knows make for a good working team in a high school marching band.

“I discussed both how these aspects can help make people work as a good team and how they can bring people apart as well at times,” he explained.

The Western Wayne School District and especially their English teacher Mrs. Carrie Wittenbrader congratulates these students on their award-winning efforts and wishes them the best in their bright futures.

From left:  Mercedes Pedersen, Kennedy Scott, Anthony Redmond, and Mrs. Carrie Wittenbrader.

On Tuesday, March 4th, The University of Scranton held their second World Language Day in which they hosted over 100 high school students to experience lessons in Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, and Arabic.  Some Western Wayne High School students were in attendance and loved their experience.

“It was very interesting to be immersed in so many different languages,” Kallie Wehrmann, Western Wayne senior, said. “I really loved making new friends and learning about different cultures.  I am so excited to go to college next year and feel this experience makes me even more prepared for the future.”

From left: Mrs. Sara Orloski, Jack Sepelyak, Lance Hauenstein, Kaitlin Wargo, Leah Reeger, Loucy Allen, Julia Wehrmann, Katie Skirpan, Lily Kieva, Kallie Wehrmann, Chloe Gilpin, Maria Gadoua, and Mrs. Sandrowicz.

The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for February. Their teachers and administrators weighed in on the decisions.  All of the students chosen hold a high standard of academic and personal excellence. They are true examples of the P.R.I.D.E. standards for PBIS at our school. 

 First, Leah Reeger is our selected freshman.  Leah is an all-around excellent student who has a passion for art.  In addition, she is involved in Envirothon, Student Council, and Ultimate Frisbee.  One of her favorite classes is her Honors English class.  She feels as though her writing is growing in strength this year, especially her poetry and literary analysis work.

She also is greatly enjoying her Introduction to Ceramics class this year.  

“We are learning how to make basic items like bowls,” Leah explained.  “I really like coming up with new items to create and then making them a reality through my art.”

Leah aspires to own a coffee shop with an art theme that focuses on nature.

 Next, Eric McGrath is our chosen sophomore this month. Eric is an enthusiastic student who gives his best effort in all he does.  His sports and activities include soccer, track, and Envirothon.  His favorite class this year is English.  

“I like writing best, especially fiction analysis,” he said.  Eric plans to attend college after graduation with an undecided major at the moment.

 In addition, Loucynthia Allen is this month’s featured junior.  She is another very dedicated student who enjoys art.  Her clubs and activities include Spanish Club, National Art Honor Society, and Envirothon.

Her favorite class this year is ceramics.

“I really like being in my own world when I create art,” she said.

She aspires to become a dentist or dental hygienist for her future career.

 Finally,  David Elias is our senior spotlight this month.  David is an exceptional academic student and talented student athlete.  His sports and activities include basketball, track and FBLA.

His favorite class is calculus.

“I enjoy problem solving and working with numbers,” he said.

David plans to attend a four-year university upon graduation with an undecided major.

The Western Wayne School District congratulates these February students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.

From left: Leah Reeger, Eric McGrath, Mr. Robert Black, high school assistant principal; Loucynthia Allen, and David Elias.